French authorities will start intercepting small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the President urging him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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