🔗 Share this article France will start stopping small boats in English Channel following British demands France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK. The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel. French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation. French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians. "It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters." Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life. Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the vessels. The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left government. That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat. Currently French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped. Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances. UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response. Related Updates Reasons Britain cannot just return asylum seekers to France France withdrawing from pledge to intercept asylum boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security