French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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