France will start stopping small boats in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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- Reasons UK cannot just return migrants to French territory
- France withdrawing from pledge to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
Border security
