France to begin stopping small boats in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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