🔗 Share this article France to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom. The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel. French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation. French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and civilians. "It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel." Currently, a French naval police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life. Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the boats. The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief change towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister left government. That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel. Now French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented. Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances. The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment. Related Updates Why UK can't just return asylum seekers to French territory French government backing away from commitment to intercept migrant boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security