France will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics 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 objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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