French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative 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 exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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