France will start intercepting migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adjust to evade 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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