France will start intercepting migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting 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 President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Now French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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