France will start stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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