France will start stopping small boats in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the former government official departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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- France backing away from pledge to intercept asylum boats
UK immigration
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