France will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods 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 comment.
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