French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a stricter approach 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 summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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