French authorities will start stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking 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 intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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