French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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