French authorities will start stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting 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 prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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