France will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices 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 major step forward, following a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official departed from office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Currently French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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