French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and stating there currently "lack any 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 collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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