France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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