France to begin stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting 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 support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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