French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former government official left office.
That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for response.
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