French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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