France will start stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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