France will start stopping small boats in Channel after UK pressure

France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period 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 maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.

French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and civilians.

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

Currently, a French naval police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.

Notably, the spokesperson ruled out 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 significant step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from 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 witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.

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

Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.

UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.

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