France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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