French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" 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 migrants, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left 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 wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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