The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today put London’s security at the heart of his demand for a seat at the negotiating table as the UK draws up terms for its departure from the European Union.
In his first joint London Assembly meeting with the Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe, the Mayor highlighted how important the key relationships and systems built up with European partners over many years are to London’s safety and security. The Mayor also promised to take the issue up with the Home Secretary.
Agreements such as the European Arrest Warrant and Prüm play a crucial role in allowing the police to do their jobs, helping to keep Londoners safe and bring offenders to justice. The European Arrest Warrant was successfully used in 2005 to extradite the failed 21 July bomber Hussein Osman to face justice in the UK in a matter of weeks.
Other conventions such as Europol, and the European Criminal Records Information System help combat crime and terrorism across borders through international cooperation and sharing forensic data like DNA and fingerprinting.
Sadiq Khan said: “I am determined to do everything in my power to ensure that Brexit does not damage the critical relationships and systems we have built up with Europe over many years to ensure this city’s security.
“In order to retain the benefits of the European Arrest Warrant and Prüm, it is paramount that London gets a seat at the table — alongside Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland —throughout negotiations with Brussels.
“As Mayor, it is my job to protect London’s interests at every stage of the process and I will fight to preserve every possible apparatus at our disposal to help keep London safe.”
The Mayor and the Commissioner also addressed the deplorable increase in hate crimes recorded since the vote to leave the EU. Together they highlighted their commitment to stamping it out with a zero-tolerance approach and called for all Londoners to report any incidences of abuse.
Sadiq Khan said: “We have seen a shocking rise in hate crimes in the last two weeks and both I and the Commissioner are determined that we stamp this out right away.
“I have asked the police to be extra vigilant. And the Commissioner and I have agreed that we must have a zero-tolerance approach and that the full force of the law must be used to catch and punish any perpetrators.
“I would appeal to all Londoners to report any incidents of hate crime or abuse – we can’t fix this problem unless it is reported.
“We are sending out a very clear message that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable and people will not get away with it. “
Notes to editors
- The European Arrest Warrant governs the extradition of individuals between Member States to stand trial or serve a sentence.
- The Prüm framework enables automated comparison of DNA profiles, fingerprint data and vehicle registration data.
- Europol is the EU's law enforcement agency, which helps Member States to conduct investigations in relation to terrorism and organised crime, by providing intelligence exchange, support and analysis. Its areas of operation include tackling: illicit drugs; trafficking in human beings; facilitated illegal immigration; intellectual property crime; cigarette smuggling; VAT fraud; money laundering and asset tracing; mobile organised crime groups and terrorism
- The European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) was created to improve the exchange of information on criminal records throughout the EU. The system provides judges and prosecutors with easy access to comprehensive information on the criminal history of persons concerned, no matter in which Member States that person has been convicted in the past.