French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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