French authorities will start stopping small boats in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief change towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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