🔗 Share this article France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom. The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel. French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements. French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians. "It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel." Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life. Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the boats. The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office. This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel. Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented. Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances. The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response. Related Developments Why Britain cannot just send back migrants to French territory French government backing away from commitment to intercept asylum boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security