France to begin stopping small boats in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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