France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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