France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there presently "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 statements.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.
This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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