France will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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