France will start stopping small boats in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative states officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, 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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