French authorities will start intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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