France will start stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure

France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.

French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and individuals.

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

Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.

Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.

The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official departed from government.

That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.

Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.

Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.

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