France will start intercepting small boats in Channel following British demands

France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.

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

French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.

French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.

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

Now, a French naval police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.

Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.

This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left government.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.

Now French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.

Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.

The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.

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