France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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