France will start stopping small boats in Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adapt to evade 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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