Hard Brexit is a risk to citizens’ security, police warn
POLICE bosses have warned Sajid Javid that a no-deal Brexit could put public safety at risk and hinder their ability to tackle crime.
A leaked letter sent to the Home Secretary by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners expressed concern that a departure with no agreement could result in “a significant loss of operational capacity”.
The national body of police and crime commissioners called on the Home Office to spell out its contingency plans if the UK is unable to access cross-border databases after the point of withdrawal in March 2019. Theresa May has repeatedly stressed the importance of close relations on security after the UK leaves the bloc.
The Government is hoping to agree a withdrawal deal with Brussels in October, but failure to do so could leave police forces with just a matter of months to roll out contingency plans should no deal become likely.
The letter, revealed by The Guardian, said: “Considerable additional resource would be required for policing to operate using non-eu tools and that such tools would be suboptimal – potentially putting operational efficiency and public safety at risk. Recruitment, vetting and training of staff to use these tools would take a substantial amount of time. We are therefore concerned that a ‘no-deal’ scenario could cause delays and challenges for UK policing and justice agencies.”
The letter highlighted 32 law enforcement measures used by UK police linked to EU membership, including the European arrest warrant and the Schengen information system used by police to search for terror suspects.
The letter added: “We must find ways to protect these mutually important capabilities when the UK leaves the EU in order to ensure the safety and security all our citizens.”