France to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure

French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.

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

French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.

"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."

Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.

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

This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.

That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.

Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.

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

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