French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade detection, 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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