France will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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