French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no 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 passengers, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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