France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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