France to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period 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 plan and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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