French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and saying there presently "lack any 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 official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.
Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy 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 Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.
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