đź”— Share this article France will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom. The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to support the plan and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage. French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation. French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians. "It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel." Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life. Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats. The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government. That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat. Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped. Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past. UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment. Related Developments Reasons Britain cannot just send back asylum seekers to France French government backing away from pledge to intercept migrant boats UK immigration Channel crossings Border security