🔗 Share this article French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom. The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel. French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements. French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and individuals. "It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel." Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life. Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the vessels. This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left government. This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel. Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented. Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past. UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment. Connected Updates Reasons UK cannot just return migrants to French territory French government withdrawing from pledge to stop asylum boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security