France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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