French authorities will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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