🔗 Share this article

France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.

French police have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.

"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."

Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.

Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to snarl the engines of the boats.

This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister left government.

That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.

Currently French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.

Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.

The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.

Connected Developments

• Reasons UK cannot just return migrants to French territory
• French government backing away from pledge to stop migrant boats