French authorities will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to disable the engines of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official left government.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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