France to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the plan and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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