French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, 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 sides of a vessel.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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