France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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