France will start stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief change towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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