French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and 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 stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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