French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded 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 month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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