🔗 Share this article French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK. The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage. French security forces have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements. French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and individuals. "It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters." Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives. Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats. The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left government. This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat. Currently French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented. Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances. The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response. Related Developments Reasons UK cannot just return migrants to France French government backing away from commitment to intercept migrant boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security