French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways 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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