France will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and saying there presently "lack any 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 migrants, according to official statements.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a brief shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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