France will start intercepting small boats in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative says officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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