France will start intercepting small boats in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off 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 President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adapt 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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