French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin 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 previously been reported as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.
That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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