France to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "lack any 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 passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative states officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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