French authorities will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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