Criminal cost of making migrants appear in court
POLICE Scotland has spent more than £65,000 in fewer than three years escorting suspected criminals around the world to face charges.
The figure covers those accused of violent crimes including murder, rape, assault, threat to life and trafficking offences.
Since the start of 2013, police have spent £65,116 escorting prisoners to and from Scotland.
Last year, one person was returned to Poland accused of murder; while another was sent back accused of rape. Another was accused of seven offences including assault, threats to life and theft.
As well as people being deported to face charges, police have been forced to bring others back here.
Last year, one person was returned from Australia accused of child rape, lewd and libidinous practices and indecent and libidinous practices towards a child. The cost was more than £8,000.
Another was brought back from Spain after being accused of abduction.
Campaigners have now called on the Government to carry out tougher checks on those entering Scotland and the UK from Europe and the rest of the world.
This echoes the call of Sheriff Craig McSherry, who, while presiding over a case at
Accused of murder and rape
Dunfermline Sheriff Court in 2013, condemned the lack of information about the offending histories of EU migrants.
He said that he often had to sentence offenders without being sure if they had previous convictions in their homeland.
Kate Whaley, of pressure group Mothers Against Murder and Aggression, said: ‘We need to do far more to ensure that those entering the UK from overseas do not put our citizens at risk.
‘Any criminal convictions or known risks should be shared internationally. Movement across borders, especially within the EU, has greatly increased over the years and we need to improve policies and legislation which recognise and understand this social change.’
Police Scotland said it could not comment on the cost of escorts as it was a Home Office issue.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘Foreign criminals have no place in the United Kingdom and this Government is using all the resources available to protect the British public.
‘In the last five years, we have strengthened the UK’s ability to request and obtain criminal records data from other countries about foreign nationals who are arrested in the UK. Since 2010, checks on foreign nationals going through the UK criminal justice system have increased by more than 1,000 per cent, helping ensure more foreign criminals are taken off our streets.
‘ The Government i s also providing leadership in Europe, and across the world, on efforts to improve the proactive sharing of information between c ountries about f or e i gn offenders.
‘But we want to go further still by preventing these people getting into the country in the first place. From September, everyone applying to come to the UK under the Tier 1 visa route will have to provide proof of criminal record checks or face a ban on entry.’