French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and saying there currently "lack any 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 passengers, according to authoritative 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 personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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