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

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

The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President urging him to support the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.

French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.

French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and civilians.

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

Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.

Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the boats.

The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.

Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.

Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

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

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