France to begin stopping small boats in Channel following UK pressure

France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.

This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the initiative and saying there presently "lack any 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 passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.

French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.

"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."

Now, a French naval police representative states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.

Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.

This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.

Now French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.

Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

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

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