France to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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