France to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade 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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