French authorities will start intercepting migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to support the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
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 official confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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