đŸ”— Share this article France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom. This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel. French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation. French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and civilians. "It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel." Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives. Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the vessels. This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a brief change towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official departed from government. This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat. Now French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented. Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past. UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment. Related Developments Why UK cannot just return asylum seekers to French territory France backing away from pledge to stop migrant boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security