🔗 Share this article France to begin stopping small boats in Channel following British demands France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months 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 initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage. French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation. French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals. "It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel." Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life. Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats. This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the former government official left government. That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel. Now French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented. Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances. UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment. Connected Updates Reasons UK can't just return asylum seekers to France French government backing away from pledge to stop asylum boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security