France to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
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 vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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