France will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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