French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to support the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the former government official departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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