French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the plan 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 picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit 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 permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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