France will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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