🔗 Share this article French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom. The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel. French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements. French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and civilians. "It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters." Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life. Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the boats. This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official left office. This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel. Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented. Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid detection, 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 Reasons UK can't just send back migrants to French territory France withdrawing from pledge to intercept migrant boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security