French authorities to begin stopping small boats in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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