French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up 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 presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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