French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period 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 saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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