Lib Dem Manifesto: Fighting Crime and Upholding Liberties Across Borders
Membership of the EU means the UK’s police are better able to keep us safe. Outside the EU British police would not have access to the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) – a tool that enabled the UK, for example, to bring Osman Hussain, who had attempted to bomb a London Underground station, back to the country to face justice. Before the EAW the UK extradited fewer than 60 people per year to the EU and in one extreme case took ten years to extradite a terrorism suspect to France; since its introduction the EAW has enabled the UK to extradite well over 12,000 suspects to the EU. British leadership in Europol has brought down criminal gangs engaged in modern slavery, child sexual exploitation and cybercrime.
Ensuring the safety of British citizens is the first duty of the UK government. We will continue to work closely with our European partners to prevent terrorism, including through Europol and other intelligence-sharing arrangements. Only through the EU can we successfully defend our economies and societies against threats such as cyber-attacks, money-laundering, tax scams and disinformation campaigns – including those aimed at undermining our democracies and our elections.
The EU guarantees the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial, individuals’ control over their own personal data, and protection against discrimination. Sanctions must be enforced wherever these rights are not upheld, and EU funding must be conditional on the rule of law.
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