🔗 Share this article French authorities to begin stopping small boats in Channel following UK pressure France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK. This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to support the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel. French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements. French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and individuals. "It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel." Now, a French naval police representative says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life. Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels. This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former government official departed from government. That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel. Currently French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented. Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances. UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response. Related Developments Why UK can't just send back migrants to France France backing away from commitment to intercept asylum boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security