Publications

Submission: NI Affairs Committee Inquiry on Cross-border Cooperation on Policing, Security and Criminal Justice after Brexit

Read the Commission’s submission to the NI Affairs Committee inquiry on cross-border cooperation on policing, security and criminal justice after Brexit.

Date produced September 2020.

Below is a summary of the recommendations contained in the report.

You can also download the full document through the links provided.

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC):

• 3.11 recommends that the UK and the EU should secure the continuation of data sharing arrangements as these measures facilitate speedy information sharing and retrieval, whereas a loss of these measures would result in delays in investigations and proceedings.
• 3.12 recommends that any facilitation of data sharing is based on mutual trust in the legal process and encompasses a commitment to the rule of law, the protection of human rights and, as part of this, a commitment to data protection standards and effective regulation of privacy rights.
• 4.11 recommends that in the absence of the European Arrest Warrant, an effective and efficient UK-EU extradition arrangement is agreed which is based on robust human rights and legal safeguards for accused persons and for victims of crimes.
• 4.20 The NIHRC recommends that the EU and UK seek to replicate the measures of cross-border cooperation that currently exist and ensure that strong human rights protections are built into any bilateral agreement on policing, security and criminal justice.
• 4.21 The NIHRC further recommends that highest standards of victims’ rights and rights of accused persons are central to any future of cross-border cooperation. The preservation of the EU Victims’ Directive in the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol is welcome and needs to be built on.