French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade detection, 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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