French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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