France will start intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.
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 walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid 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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