France will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces 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 acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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