France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the plan and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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