French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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