France will start stopping small boats in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, following a brief shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
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 slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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