French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative says officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, following a brief change towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, 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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