French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands

France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.

The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and saying 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 picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.

French police have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.

"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."

Currently, a French maritime police representative says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.

Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines of the boats.

The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.

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

Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.

Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.

UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.

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Tony Cook
Tony Cook

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