French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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