French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President urging him to support the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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