France to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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