France will start stopping small boats in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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