France will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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