🔗 Share this article

French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.

This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.

French authorities have rarely intervened 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 deploy these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."

Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.

Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique 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 approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left government.

This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.

Now French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.

Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.

Related Developments

• Why Britain can't just send back asylum seekers to French territory
• France backing away from commitment to intercept migrant boats