French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure
France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.
French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.
French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.
"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.
This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a brief shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.
Now French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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