French authorities will start intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to support the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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