French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to back the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative states officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister 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 witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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