France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.
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 "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be allowed 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 prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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