French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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