France will start stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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