French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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- France backing away from commitment to stop migrant boats
