France will start intercepting small boats in Channel following UK pressure

France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French security forces have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.

French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.

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

Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.

Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.

This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from office.

That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.

Now French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.

Strong winds are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

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

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