France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling 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 response.
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