France will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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