France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.
French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.
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