France will start intercepting migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure
French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.
French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."
Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the vessels.
The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former government official departed from government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities 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 not clear how the small boats will be stopped.
Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.
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