The four main Benefits of EU Police & Judicial Cooperation to the UK are:-
There are a number of other very useful measures including Effective Customs Cooperation, European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS), Mutual Recognition of Financial Penalties, Prisoner Transfers, The Schengen Information System II, Simpler & Faster Information Exchange, Psychoactive Drugs information exchange, European Police Training College, Networks, European Image Archiving System, Mutual Recognition of Supervision Measures, Trials in Absentia, and Conflicts of jurisdiction in criminal matters.
All these measures benefit the fight against organised international crime, and must be kept rather than scrapped as some Conservative MPs and members of the government wish to do.
For more information on these see below:
CASE STUDIES: Operation Captura & Crimestoppers!
Crimestoppers, the UK crime fighting charity founded and led by Tory party donor , has an active and highly successful programme working with UK and Spanish authorities to track down and repatriate UK criminals that have fled to Spain using the EAW. Under the programme, called ‘Operation Captura’ 49 out of the 65 top UK fugitives hiding in Spain have been identified and repatriated to face justice in the UK. Full details of Operation Captura and its individual successes can be found Crimestoppers: arrests to date operation Captura and SOCA: Operation Captura Spain
CASE STUDY: London Bomber
Hussain Osman, one of the individuals involved in the failed July 2005 attempted London bombings was arrested in Italy under a UK issued European Arrest Warrant and extradited to the UK to face trial. Further details can be found from BBC report: Extradited bomb suspect charged
While Interpol is effectively a communication hub only between national law enforcement agencies, Europol also has considerable analytical, operational and support capabilities which are hugely valued by UK law enforcement authorities, prosecutors and relevant NGOs. In almost every one of the attached list of UK success stories, Europol has played a major role. Europol supports UK law enforcement in a variety of ways[7]:
CASE STUDY: ‘Operation Rescue’!
A 3 year operation launched by British Metropolitan Police and coordinated by Europol across 30 countries that led to the discovery of the world’s largest online paedophile network. 670 suspects were identified, 184 arrests were made 230 sexually exploited children were released, including 60 in the UK. For further details See Europol Operational Successes and p.8-9 Child Sexual Exploitation factsheet.
CASE STUDY: ‘Operation Golf’
A joint investigation between Europol, the Met and Romanian Police, broke up an organised criminal network operating a child trafficking network in the UK and across the EU. In 2010, this saw 7 individuals arrested in the UK and the release of 28 children. In total, some 121 individuals were arrested under the Operation, 181 children (trafficked for £20,000 each and earning traffickers £160k each per year) were identified and released and saving the UK £400,000 through stopping related benefit fraud. For further information, see p.17-18 The European Investigator and Operation GOLF and p. 107 House of Lords: Inquiry into The EU Internal Security Strategy
UK authorities, such as the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), regularly use Eurojust to enhance, speed up and coordinate cross-border important investigations of importance to the UK. Eurojust provides a variety of services:
In 2011, Eurojust participated in 29 JITs and funded and administered a further 16 JITs[19]. In many of the attached success stories, Eurojust has played a critical role. In the last year alone, Eurojust has provided £500,000 in funding for JITs involving UK law enforcement authorities. In the last two years alone, UK authorities have requested Eurojust assistance in 166 cases[20]. In 2011 alone, UK authorities registered 127 cases with Eurojust[21]. The CPS engages with Eurojust to agree individual case strategies and wider thematic approaches to crimes and criminality that cross two or more EU jurisdictions and/or involve third Party (non-EU) States.
The CPS uses the to encourage early, direct liaison between prosecutors to advance individual case issues and provide quick advice as to an individual State’s practice and procedure[22]. The is used to represent the CPS, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO) and the Crown Office in Scotland, especially in relation to mutual legal assistance requests and European Arrest Warrants. These networks provide the bottom-up relationships, trust and working [ractices that enable smooth and efficient cross-border judicial cooperation[23].
CASE STUDY: Vietnamese People Smuggling to the UK
In February 2011, a Eurojust co-ordinated operation involving five other countries resulted in nineteen arrests of individuals involved in the smuggling of thousands of illegal immigrants, mainly from Vietnam to the UK. For a full report see Eurojust website Large international operation against illegal immigrant smuggling networks.
The UK has launched and run dozens of successful JITs to date with other European national police forces and EU agencies. And the UK now strongly advocates it as a best practice form of international police and judicial cooperation. Since 2009, the UK has been involved in at least 15 JITs[24] covering serious crimes such as drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings, illegal immigration, fraud, money laundering, vehicle crime and cybercrime.[25]
CASE STUDY: JIT on Roma Women Trafficked to the UK for Prostitution
In 2011, a Joint Investigation Team was set up between the UK, Czech Republic and Eurojust targeting an organised criminal network trafficking Roma women from Czech Republic to the UK to work as prostitutes. Eurojust provided analytical and coordination support for the operation and helped to resolve potential conflicts of jurisdiction early. The JIT operation led to the arrest of 11 ringleaders within 3 months of being set up. See P. 21 here.
[1] SOCA Annual Report 2010-11 page 93
[2] http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2011-12-01c.84152.h&s=european+arrest+warrant#g84152.q0
[3] http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2011-11-28c.81230.h&s=section%3Awrans+speaker%3A11494#g81230.q0
[4] P.11: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/uk-baker-extradition-review.pdf
[5] http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2011-11-15c.81154.h&s=section%3Awrans+speaker%3A11494#g81154.q0
[6] http://ec.europa.eu/justice/policies/criminal/extradition/docs/com_2011_175_en.pdf
[7] P.78: https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/rand_evaluation_report.pdf
[8] P.34: https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/rand_evaluation_report.pdf
[9] P.74: https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/rand_evaluation_report.pdf
[10] P.78: https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/rand_evaluation_report.pdf
[11] P.48: https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/rand_evaluation_report.pdf
[12] P.78: https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/rand_evaluation_report.pdf
[13] P.48: https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/rand_evaluation_report.pdf
[14] P.89: https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/rand_evaluation_report.pdf
[15] P.101: https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/rand_evaluation_report.pdf
[16] P.10: https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/child-sexual-exploitation-fact-sheet.pdf
[17] P.15: https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/en_investigator_-_copy.pdf
[18] P.105: https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/rand_evaluation_report.pdf
[19] P.11: http://eurojust.europa.eu/doclibrary/corporate/eurojust%20Annual%20Reports/Annual%20Report%202011/Annual-Report-2011-EN.pdf
[20] http://eurojust.europa.eu/doclibrary/corporate/eurojust%20Annual%20Reports/Annual%20Report%202011/Annual-Report-2011-EN.pdf
[21] Ibid
[22] Page 17: http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/annualreport07.pdf
[23] Page 18 : http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/annualreport07.pdf
[24] http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2012-04-16b.103060.h&s=section%3Awrans+speaker%3A11494#g103060.q0
[25] http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2012-02-20d.95610.h&s=joint+investigation+team+section%3Awrans+section%3Awms#g95610.r0
[26] http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/08/03/uk-britain-cocaine-idUKTRE7722JL20110803
[27] http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2012-07-02a.114112.h&s=section%3Awrans+speaker%3A11823#g114112.q0
[28] http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2012-05-01b.106071.h&s=justice+speaker%3A11494#g106071.q0
[29] http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2012-04-16b.103058.h&s=justice+speaker%3A11494#g103058.q0
[30] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/ferry-walkway-disaster-blamed-on-inept-design-1284771.html
[31] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/280107.stm
[32] http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2012-03-07a.98443.h&s=section%3Awrans+speaker%3A11494#g98443.q0
[33] P.24: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100303205641/http:/www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/managingourborders/crime-strategy/protecting-border.pdf?view=Binary
[34] See Annex 1: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/attachements.cfm/att_155113_EN_EMCDDA-Europol%20Annual%20Report%202011_2012_final.pdf
[35] See Overview: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/attachements.cfm/att_155113_EN_EMCDDA-Europol%20Annual%20Report%202011_2012_final.pdf
[36] http://www.cepol.europa.eu/
[37] http://www.eucpn.org/aboutus/index.asp
[38] http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/justice_freedom_security/fight_against_organised_crime/l33006_en.htm
[39] http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/justice_freedom_security/judicial_cooperation_in_criminal_matters/l33064_en.htm
[40] http://www.ejn-crimjust.europa.eu/ejn/EJN_StaticPage.aspx?Bread=2
[41] http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/justice_freedom_security/free_movement_of_persons_asylum_immigration/l33075_en.htm
[42] http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/justice_freedom_security/judicial_cooperation_in_criminal_matters/jl0032_en.htm
[43] http://www.nio.gov.uk/enhancing_procedural_rights_and_judicial_co-operation_in_the_eu.pdf
[44] http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/justice_freedom_security/judicial_cooperation_in_criminal_matters/jl0021_en.htm