France to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear 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 adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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