French authorities will start intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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