French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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