UK would be less safe after Brexit: Report

Britain’s exit from the European Union following the Brexit vote in June could leave the UK "less safe" unless security co-operation with the EU is maintained, a Lords report has warned.

The report from the Lords EU Home Affairs sub-committee said losing access to EU databases like the Schengen Information System (SIS) would be an "abrupt shock" to policing.

As a post-Brexit UK would no longer be part of the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice, maintaining security cooperation with the EU will more difficult than imagined, the report warns.

"Even with the utmost goodwill on both sides, and a recognition of the mutual interest at stake, there may be practical constraints on how closely the UK and the EU 27 can work together in future if they are no longer bound by the same rules, enforced by the same supranational institutions," it said.

Regarding Europol, the law enforcement agency of the EU, the committee warned that agreement already in place with other non-EU countries would "not be sufficient to meet the UK's needs" and the UK must push for a deal which "goes further".

Europol handles criminal intelligence and combating serious international organized crime by means of cooperation between the relevant authorities of the member EU states.

On SIS, a governmental database used by European countries to maintain and distribute information about missing people and criminals, the committee warned its loss would be "an abrupt shock to UK policing" and would pose a risk to public safety.

In response, Policing Minister Brandon Lewis said: "Co-operation on law enforcement and security with our European and global allies remains a priority for the government.

"We will do what is necessary to keep people safe and we are working, alongside policing and security partners, to explore options for co-operation arrangements once the UK has left the EU."

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