France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police representative says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a brief change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official departed from government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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