French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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