French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police representative states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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