French authorities to begin stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
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 dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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