France to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
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 President urging him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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