France will start stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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