Without access to tools and agencies such as the European arrest warrant, Europol and Eurojust or equivalent replacements, Britain’s ability to fight crime and keep citizens safe will be compromised after it leaves the EU, the U.K.’s House of Lords said in a report published Friday.
Prime Minister Theresa May’s government must be able to secure more than the operational agreements with Europol other non-EU countries have negotiated, the House of Lords EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee said in the report.
“Access to EU law enforcement databases and data-sharing platforms is integral to day-to-day policing,” stated the report, which analyzed the tools that underpin security and police co-operation between Britain and the bloc. “Were the U.K. to lose access to them upon leaving the EU, information that can currently be sourced in seconds or hours could take days or week to retrieve, delivering an abrupt shock to U.K. policing and posing a risk to the safety of the public.”
The sub-committee suggested the U.K. could pursue an immediate bilateral extradition agreement that mirrors the European arrest warrant (EAW) with the EU.
“An operations gap between the EAW ceasing to apply and a suitable replacement coming into force would pose an unacceptable risk,” according to the report.
Usha Prashar, the sub-committee chairman, said in a statement: “Protecting the lives of its citizens is the first duty of government and should be the overriding consideration during Brexit negotiations. Without access to these vital EU tools or credible substitutes, we would be seriously harming the capability of our law enforcement agencies to fight crime and keep the public safe.”