France will start stopping small boats in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to support the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods 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 approached for response.
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