French authorities to begin stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt 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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