French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the former government official left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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