France will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel after British demands
France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.
The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.
French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.
French police have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded 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 tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.
Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the boats.
The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.
This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.
Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.
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- Why Britain cannot just send back migrants to France
- France withdrawing from pledge to stop migrant boats
UK immigration
Channel crossings
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