French authorities will start intercepting small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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