French authorities will start intercepting small boats in English Channel following UK pressure

French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.

French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and individuals.

"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."

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

Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to disable the propellers of the boats.

This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left government.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.

Currently French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.

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

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