French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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