France to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police representative says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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