France will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels 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 President asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police representative says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief change towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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