French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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