French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel following British demands

French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of insistence 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 initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.

French police have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.

"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."

Now, a French naval police representative states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.

Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.

This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.

Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, 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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