French authorities will start intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to back the plan 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 exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust 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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