French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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