France will start stopping small boats in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police representative states officers will begin 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 technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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