The independent Labour Peer and Freedom Association Council member, Lord Stoddart of Swindon has strongly criticised the Association of Police & Crime Commissioners for their interference in the debate over Brexit.  The Eurosceptic peer described their letter to the Home Secretary as an “unwise and unpopular political intervention from an organisation representing a deeply unpopular layer of bureaucracy that has been an undistinguished addition to the cost of policing in the UK.”

Lord Stoddart said: “It really is very disappointing that the Police & Crime Commissioners have chosen to add to the hysteria over Brexit.  They should stay out of politics as their ill-informed and one-sided letter demonstrates.  They have cited the loss of the European Arrested Warrant (EAW) as a major concern despite the Government having frequently made it clear that it intends to remain committed to the EAW, regardless of the fact that it goes against all the basic tenets of English law i.e. you can be shipped abroad without a proper hearing to face trial on something that may not even be a crime in this country.

 “Nowhere in their letter do they mention the considerable security problems created by the EU’s open borders policy which allows terrorists to skip from one country to another, after they have committed their atrocities. They also fail to mention the concerns many non-EU countries have about sharing intelligence with the EU, which is not regarded as secure. Brexit gives us a major opportunity to secure our borders and make this country safer.  It is a shame that the Police & Crime Commissioners seems to be opposing this significant new opportunity.”

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