French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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