French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel following British demands

France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.

This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to back the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.

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

French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.

"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."

Now, a French naval police representative says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.

Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.

The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former government official departed from government.

That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking 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 individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.

UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.

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