France to begin stopping small boats in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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