France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no 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 collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking 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 contacted for comment.
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