Warning on fighting crime after Brexit...
Ending of European Arrest Warrant support with UK may harm security
THE Government has warned Brexit will have an impact on international crime-fighting measures.
It comes as the Department of Justice revealed the figures for European Arrest Warrants in a new report.
The study found 47 people were returned to Ireland in 2017 using the legal documents while 60 suspects were sent back by this country to other EU member states.
The types of offences included murder, rape and sexual abuse of children, drugs offences, robbery, assault, fraud and human trafficking.
The leading country covered interacting with Ireland on the warrants is the UK and the report identified there are concerns about Brexit.
It said: “The departure of the UK is particularly significant for Ireland on a wide range of issues.
“However, in the context of combating crime and terrorism, the necessity to maintain a functioning system of extradition between the two states has been identified as the key priority. “As all annual reports on the European Arrest Warrants to date have shown, the UK remains the state with which Ireland has the greatest interaction.
“In that context, the minister [Charlie Flanagan] has requested the Department of Justice and Equality to examine the implications of Brexit for extradition between the two states and to consider the options available to address the various possible outcomes to the Brexit negotiations.”
Minister Flanagan has also expressed his concerns about the dangers to the system in a post-brexit Europe. He said: “The European Arrest Warrant is a valuable mechanism that helps ensure dangerous criminals can be apprehended, keeping EU citizens safer as a result. “It provides for an enhanced extradition process within the EU.” Besides the UK, other countries with which Ireland interacts on security are Poland and Romania. Charlie Flanagan
Number of people returned here under the European warrants
THERESA May has 24 hours to save her job as Tory rebels line up to kill off her EU deal in tomorrow’s Brexit vote.
Labour warned it is poised for power if, as widely expected, she suffers a humiliating defeat.
Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “The deal is ridiculous. It won’t work.”
A brolly might have kept the rain off the British Prime Minister yesterday, but she can expect little shelter from the storm that will batter her if she loses the vote.
Mrs May made a desperate last-ditch appeal for MPS to back her to avoid “handing Labour the keys to No10”.
After going to church in the rain, she said: “This is what I genuinely believe and fear could happen.”
The Democratic Unionist Party warned it is “determined” to defeat her deal, which may affect whether it still props up her Government.