France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands

France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.

French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.

French police have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and individuals.

"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."

Now, a French maritime police representative says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.

Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.

The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the former government official left government.

This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.

Currently French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.

Strong winds are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for 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 comment.

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