France to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.
French police have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.
Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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