French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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