🔗 Share this article France will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK. This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel. French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation. French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals. "It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters." Currently, a French maritime police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life. Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the boats. This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official departed from office. This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel. Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented. Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for 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 contacted for comment. Related Updates Reasons UK cannot just return asylum seekers to French territory French government backing away from commitment to stop migrant boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security