French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel following UK pressure

French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.

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

French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.

"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."

Now, a French naval police representative says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.

Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.

This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.

That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.

Currently French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.

Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.

The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.

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