French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the plan and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
Lucas van der Meer is a digital strategist focused on empowering local economies with technology-driven market solutions.