France will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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