France will start stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines 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 warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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