French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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