France will start intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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