French authorities will start stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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