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

This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.

French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.

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

Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.

Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.

This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official departed from government.

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

Now French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.

Strong winds are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs 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 contacted for response.

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