French authorities to begin stopping small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches 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 people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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