French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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