French authorities will start stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative states officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept 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 step forward, coming after a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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