France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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