French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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- Reasons UK cannot just send back asylum seekers to French territory
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UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
