Safer Borders? Why Brexit May Be Good News to European Criminals
- U.K. leaving EU may exclude it from European Arrest Warrant
- Warrants had transformed speed of extradition over last decade
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Leaving the European Union would stop innocent British citizens from languishing in foreign prisons, U.K. politicians claimed as they campaigned for Brexit. The reality is it may also make it harder to extradite criminals to stand trial in the country.
The EU has used the European Arrest Warrant -- valid through the 28-nation bloc -- to streamline extradition procedures since 2004, and the results are tangible. Before EAWs, fewer than 60 people a year were sent by the U.K. to other countries to face criminal charges. Since then, more than 7,000 have been expelled to EU member states alone and 1,000 brought back to face trial, according to data from the U.K. National Crime Agency.