French authorities will start stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adapt 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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