🔗 Share this article

France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.

French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.

"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."

Now, a French maritime police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.

Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.

This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.

This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.

Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the past.

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

Related Developments

• Why UK can't just return migrants to French territory
• French government backing away from commitment to stop asylum boats