Leicestershire’s Police & Crime Commissioner, Lord Willy
Bach, will travel to Brussels next week to discuss the threat to
policing and security in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
is one of three members of the
Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ (APCC) cross-party
Brexit Working Group, which was set up to examine the impact of
the UK’s departure from the EU on domestic policing and security
issues.
will meet with the EU Security
Union Commissioner, , to assess the future of
cross-border collaboration that is currently underpinned by EU
treaties. 32 European law enforcement and security measures are
used by the police on a daily basis. If the government is unable
to negotiate the retention of these measures after withdrawal,
local police forces will face a significant loss of operational
capacity.
Areas of concern include:
- The European Arrest Warrant; this allows a suspected criminal
to be extradited from one EU member state to another.
- The Schengen Information System; an EU wide database that
circulates real-time alerts relating to people and property.
- EUROPOL; the EU law enforcement agency that supports member
states in the fight against terrorism, cyber-fraud and serious
organised crime.
Access to these collaborative resources could end, causing
serious delays and challenges to policing if the UK crashes out
of the EU without a deal.
said, “International criminals
show scant respect for national borders. Over the last five
decades we have put together an integrated set of arrangements to
secure seamless collaboration between police and security forces
across Europe. These measures are far from the public view, but
they keep people safe in Leicester and in towns and cities across
the nation. It is essential that they are retained following the
UK’s exit from the EU.
"Along with my APCC colleagues, I raised these issues with the
Home Office during the summer. The Secretary of State’s
response offered some reassurance, but it contained no detail on
the contingency plans to keep people safe in a no-deal scenario.
"There are two sides in the negotiation. I will be seeking
clarification from the EU Security Union Commissioner on the
consequences for public safety in the UK and beyond. It
seems increasingly unlikely that the Prime Minister will be able
to secure parliamentary approval for a deal and our police forces
may need to prepare for a challenging outcome.
"Police and Crime Commissioners will work with UK Government and
the EU to find ways of protecting citizens in all countries
should we be faced with restrictions to European collaboration in
the event of a no-deal Brexit."
Note: The Brussels visit has been facilitated by the East
Midland’s MEP, . In addition to
discussions with the Security Commissioner, will hold meetings with the UK’s
Permanent Representation to the EU, the European Agency for Law
Enforcement Training, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs
and Drug Addiction and MEPs.
