France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure

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

This policy shift comes after the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.

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

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

Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.

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

The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left government.

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

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

Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.

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