France will start intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to support the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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