🔗 Share this article French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom. This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage. French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements. French police have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals. "It is crucial that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters." Now, a French naval police representative 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 potential method to snarl 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 dropped off when the previous government official left government. This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat. Now French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped. Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances. UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment. Related Updates Why UK can't just send back asylum seekers to France French government withdrawing from pledge to intercept asylum boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security