French authorities will start stopping small boats in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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