France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, following a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start 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 past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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