French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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