France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands

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

The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.

French police have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.

"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."

Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.

Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to disable the propellers of the boats.

The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.

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

Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.

Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

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

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