France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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