France to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure

French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.

This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to back the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.

French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.

"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."

Currently, a French maritime police representative states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.

Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.

The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official left government.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.

Now French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.

Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for response.

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Marcus Scott
Marcus Scott

Elena Voss is a seasoned financial analyst and writer with over 15 years of experience in wealth management.