France will start stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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