France to begin stopping small boats in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police representative states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, 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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