French authorities will start stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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