France will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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