France will start stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police representative states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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