France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative states officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to snarl the engines of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official departed from government.
That was highlighted 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 authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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Channel crossings
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