What impact will Brexit have on police in the UK?

EU databases have become so integral to British policing that most officers are using them on a daily basis without even realising.

When police search for a suspect’s history on the Police National Computer, their equipment automatically scans the EU-wide Schengen Information System (SIS II) database at the same time – currently amounting to 539 million searches a year.

But if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on 29 March, that system and several others will instantly be switched off.

And even if MPs eventually agree the terms of Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement, British access is only guaranteed until the end of a transition period, when hopes will hinge on a bespoke security treaty being negotiated.

Other systems on the line include the European Arrest Warrant, which allows police across the EU to detain and swiftly extradite suspects wanted by other nations.

The UK’s membership of Europol will be downgraded, and it could lose access to the European Criminal Records Information System (Ecris), which is needed for swift information sharing on past offending.

A dedicated unit has been working on contingency plans for months, but senior officers and politicians admit that nothing can fully replace current EU tools.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said that the “alternatives we are planning to use, where they exist, are without exception slower, more bureaucratic and ultimately less effective”.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Martin, who is in charge of Brexit preparations, admitted last month that public safety would be hit by a loss of intelligence, making it easier for suspects to escape and harder for foreign offenders to be deported.

Police officers forced to use outdated conventions would spend hours in stations negotiating red tape rather than being on the streets, he told journalists, and the change will cost forces at least £20m extra a year.

“Because processes have been automated for such a long time, officers will be using EU systems without realising,” Mr Martin said.

“Some forces need some assistance to get us into a place where they're fully ready.”

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