French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel following British demands
France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.
The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "lack any 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 collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.
French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and civilians.
"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."
Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the boats.
This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.
That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.
Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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- Why Britain cannot just return asylum seekers to French territory
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