French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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