Letter to the papers: European Arrest Warrant

My colleague, Edward McMillan-Scott, and I have written the following letter to the papers in the region on the issue of the European Arrest Warrant.

Dear Sir or Madam,

Readers may well be aware of the recent conviction of Jeremy Forrest of child

abduction by a court in Lewes. Mr Forrest, a married maths teacher, fled to France

with a 15-year-old pupil , leading to an international police hunt. This terrible case,

involving a child, demonstrates for all concerned the importance of the European Arrest

Warrant. It was this tool that enabled Mr Forrest to be so swiftly extradited back to

Britain face criminal proceedings. It also goes to show the importance of being able

to work across borders to tackle such important issues and crime and safety.

The European Arrest Warrant is not only used in cases such as this, but also those

as varied as human trafficking, terrorism and murder. Some of the gravest of crimes

with the most dangerous of criminals – brought to justice thanks to the European Arrest

Warrant.

It concerns us greatly, then, that there are still those within the Conservative Party

who would seek to scrap British involvement with the EAW, despite the fact the Police

want to see this power remain. We fear this would put many young people in society

at great risk of crimes including human trafficking and make society a less safe place

in general. This must not be allowed to happen. As Liberal Democrats, we are

campaigning vigorously against the Conservative optout plan so that the police can

continue to have access to the tools they need to bring criminals like Jeremy Forrest

to justice and keep the public safe.

Yours,