French authorities will start stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased 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 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 pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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