France will start stopping small boats in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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