French authorities will start intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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