🔗 Share this article France to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK. The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage. French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation. French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians. "It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters." Now, a French maritime police representative states officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives. Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the vessels. This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government. That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat. Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped. Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances. UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response. Related Developments Reasons UK cannot just return migrants to France French government backing away from commitment to intercept asylum boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security