France will start intercepting migrant vessels in Channel following British demands

France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the 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 stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.

French authorities have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.

"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."

Currently, a French maritime police representative states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.

Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.

This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy 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 President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.

Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.

Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.

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