France to begin intercepting small boats in Channel after British demands

France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.

French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.

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

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

Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.

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

This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.

That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.

Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.

Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

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

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