French authorities to begin stopping small boats in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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- French government backing away from commitment to stop asylum boats
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