French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, 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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