France to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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