France will start stopping small boats in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to support the plan and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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