French authorities to begin stopping small boats in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
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 earlier been reported as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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