French authorities to begin stopping small boats in Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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