France to begin stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative states officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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