French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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