French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers 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 people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
Rashid Al-Mansoori is a tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering innovations and digital transformations in the Middle East.
