French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to support the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods 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 contacted for comment.
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