French authorities will start stopping small boats in Channel after UK pressure

French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.

French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.

"It is essential that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."

Now, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.

Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.

This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.

This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.

Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.

The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.

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