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

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

This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.

French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and individuals.

"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."

Currently, a French maritime police representative says officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.

Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.

The decision 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 Interior Minister left office.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.

Now French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid 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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