French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the former government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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