France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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