France will start stopping small boats in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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