French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived change 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, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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