France will start stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
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 earlier been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept 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 prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start 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 comment.
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