French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former government official left government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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