France will start stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, 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 danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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