France to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to support the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective 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 vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways 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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