France will start stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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