French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official 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.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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