🔗 Share this article French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom. The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel. French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation. French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and individuals. "It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters." Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives. Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to disable the engines of the vessels. This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the former government official left office. That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat. Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped. Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling 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 the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment. Connected Updates Reasons UK cannot just send back asylum seekers to France France backing away from commitment to stop asylum boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security