🔗 Share this article French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel after UK pressure France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK. This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel. French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements. French police have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and civilians. "It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel." Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life. Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels. The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left government. That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat. Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented. Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances. The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment. Connected Developments Why UK cannot just return migrants to France French government withdrawing from pledge to intercept asylum boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security