France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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