French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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