French authorities to begin stopping small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left 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 permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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