France will start stopping small boats in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions 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 comment.
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