France will start stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police representative states officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible 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 stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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