French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in English Channel after UK pressure

France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader urging him to support the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.

French police have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.

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

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

Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to disable the engines of the vessels.

This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left government.

That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.

Now French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.

Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

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

Connected Updates

• Why Britain can't just return asylum seekers to French territory
• French government backing away from commitment to intercept migrant boats