France, Feb. 28 -- French and British interior ministers have committed to strengthening the fight against illegal migration, including France lifting a ban on police stopping migrant boats at sea.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and his British counterpart Yvette Cooper met Thursday at the northern coastal town of Le Touquet where some migrants set off to try and reach the UK.

Retailleau announced he was seeking a change to the law to allow migrants to be tackled out of boats in shallow water.

The change would also allow police to use their own boats for the first time to take on people smugglers transporting migrants to Britain's shores in often flimsy and overloaded vessels.

The idea is to counter a tactic involving "taxi-boats"...