France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative says officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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