THE ability of police to fight serious and violent crime could suffer if the government fails to reach a suitable Brexit deal, a meeting will hear today (Tuesday, June 19).

Noting that failure to reach a satisfactory agreement could leave the UK on a “cliff edge” in regards to security, a report states how the ability to solve crimes related to terrorism, child sexual exploitation and organised crime is particularly at risk from Brexit.

“West Midlands Police (WMP) plays a vital role in national security and the safety of the public in the West Midlands,” it notes.

“And Brexit may risk putting the UK and the West Midlands in jeopardy if detailed arrangements aren’t put in place to meet the current levels of effective UK-EU cooperation, which are used to help WMP fight terrorism, human trafficking and serious organised crime.

“WMP is concerned that its ability to fight serious and violent crime will be hindered.”

Due to be heard at a Strategic Policing and Crime Board meeting (SPCB), the report will also outline how WMP harbours serious concerns about the government’s apparent lack of contingency planning for a no-deal scenario.

Much of West Midlands Police (WMP)’s concerns focus on the level of co-operation between EU member states in regards to information sharing.

The report states: “WMP’s view is that, as things stand, UK policing does not have sufficient contingencies in place in order to meet the current levels of UK-EU cooperation.

“WMP is looking towards the NPCC’s [National Police Chiefs Council] national lead for policing, the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Home Office for strong leadership and support to help WMP prepare locally and bridge the current gap in contingency planning.”

Specific concerns relate to cross-border checks on potential criminals, European Arrest Warrants and extradition, and the role of Europol and Joint Investigation Teams (JITs).

In 2017, for example, WMP extradited 98 criminals back to their own countries to face trial, identifying them using information sharing.

In addition to this, the details of around 800 suspects a month are run through the Europol Information Service, including those of the most dangerous suspects.

WMP is also concerned that Brexit could see the force lose access to the European Arrest Warrant, and cited several examples of how its work has benefitted from cooperation with European partners.

These include setting up a Joint Investigation Team with Slovakian colleagues to help stamp out human trafficking, as well as receiving weekly updates on the movements of sex offenders across international borders.