French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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