France to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "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 authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach 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 Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading 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 individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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