France will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands
France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.
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