French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches 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 people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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