France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left government.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be allowed to stop boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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