France to begin stopping small boats in Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable 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 warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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