French authorities will start stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the former government official left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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