French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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