France will start stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested 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 approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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