French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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