France will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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