France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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