French authorities will start intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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