France to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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