French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official left office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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