French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to support the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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