French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
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 rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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