French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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