French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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