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French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there currently "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 collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.

French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.

"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."

Now, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.

Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.

This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left government.

That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.

Now French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.

Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.

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

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