France to begin stopping small boats in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former government official left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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