French authorities will start stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline 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 zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision 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 office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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