French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted 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 slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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