French authorities will start intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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