French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the former government official left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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