One of the most contentious parts of the attempts to stop small boats crossing the Channel has been the inability for vessels to be stopped as they leave France.
Blocking rivers previously denied boats the chance to board upstream and head towards the UK.
But the newest tactic is for “taxi boats” to loiter near the beaches of northern France and pick up migrants.
As they remain in the water, French authorities are unable to stop them – they can only start rescue missions if the vessels get into trouble.
But this may be about to change.
Speaking in a joint news conference alongside Home Secretary Yvette Cooper yesterday, her French counterpart Bruno Ratailleau said he wanted to change the law.
He said: “In any case, within 300 metres, in the coastal strip, in the maritime strip close to the coast, we need to review our organisation so that we can board these boats, if I dare say, when the taxi boats arrive to pick up migrants.”
At the same time, Cooper and Ratailleau announced an extension of the UK-France deal to stop illegal migration.
This includes new specialist intelligence and judicial police based in Dunkirk, new enforcement officers and new drone pilots.
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