France to begin stopping small boats in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief change towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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