France will start intercepting migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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