French authorities will start stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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