How will we continue to work closely with our European colleagues and ensure security information continues to flow freely?
The UK is a principal player in the international arena, with its wider contribution including active memberships of the United Nations, Interpol, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) (as one of just a few member countries that contribute the agreed 2% of GDP), and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The UK is one of the G7 member countries that founded Financial Action Task Force, which is recognised as the international standard setting body in the field of anti- money laundering, providing a basis for international co-operation. We also maintain strong bilateral partnerships with EU and non- EU states, most recently announcing a strengthened defence and security relationship with Japan.
As both parties come together to determine what our post-Brexit security cooperation arrangements will look like, it must be noted that there is currently no precedent for access by non-EU or non-Schengen countries to the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) or the Schengen Information System II (SIS II), respectively.
xit?
In September, the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Home Office published a policy paper on Security, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, which suggested that, “with threats evolving faster than ever before”, the UK and EU should “work together to design new, dynamic arrangements as part of the future partnership”, to a degree that “goes beyond the existing, often ad hoc arrangements for EU third-country relationships”.
The fact that the UK’s commissioner, Sir Julian King, is the European Commissioner for the Security Union with oversight of the EU’s internal security arrangements will surely help both sides identify a mutually beneficial arrangement. In August he said on BBC Radio 5 live: “Europol has a series of relationships with countries that aren't in the European Union at the moment, the United States, for example. And those close relationships work very well.”
© CI TY S ECURI TY MAGAZ INE – WINT ER 2017
Equally, however, there is no precedent for negotiations with a former member state that is such a significant contributor to European security arrangements, with its wider capabilities including the significant element of the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence alliance. This led the House of Lords European Union Committee to conclude in their December 2016 report that there was a strong case to support the government pursuing a wide- ranging bespoke arrangement.
Countries’ national interests will continue to drive closer bilateral security relationships, and arguably there is room to bolster the capabilities of Interpol and other international mechanisms. Business-to-business security information-sharing will continue to cross national borders and may become a growing aspect of the bigger European business picture.
In short, the increasing threat to European countries of international terrorism, cyber crime and organised crime and the need to collaborate means that it is in the interests of both the UK and the EU to pursue more, not less, security cooperation. Hopefully, this will ultimately drive both parties in the Brexit negotiations to set apart security from economic deliberations. But as practitioners, we should not rest on our laurels and merely hope for the best.
In these uncertain and challenging times, security practitioners in the public and private sectors need also to be working to establish the best possible security networks and partnerships for mutual and societal benefit.
FOOTNOTE: Alison Wakefield will take over as Chairman of the Security Institute in January 2018.
www. c i t y s e cu r i t yma g a z i n e . com
Peter J French MBE CPP Fsyi Managing Director SSR Personnel
T
he UK security profession has a broad reliance on EU nationals. We now need to
attract applicants, technically qualified to UK standards, from countries outside the EU. The UK economy has been super fuelled by giving opportunities to barista, hospitality staff and receptionists on zero hours contracts.
This gig or sharing economy developed by Airbnb and the platform economy in the shape of Uber, Deliveroo and home cleaners, will continue in the UK. Such flexibility is possible in non-technical security service sector roles.
On leaving the EU, companies will attract skilled people from a multiplicity of countries as long as the UK visa rules are clear and uncomplicated. We could attract more multi linguists,important for global business and for removing ourselves from the drug of creating mainly low-paid jobs.
David Mundell Managing Director Axis Security
T
here has been much comment about us leaving the EU security “club” of
Europol and the European Defence Agency. Such a move (if it transpired) would unilaterally weaken all parties (remaining EU members and the UK) in the ongoing fight against crime and terrorism and would serve no positive purpose – and this at a time when terrorist atrocities across the globe are on the increase. I would therefore like to think that any Brexit agreement would incorporate a sensible and pragmatic approach to security and that the communication and sharing of information would continue for the common good.
There is still ongoing uncertainty over what Brexit will actually look like and this uncertainty breeds nervousness and fear both in individuals and business. From a private security perspective, the EU has been a driver for much of the regulation through the SIA since 2003 (for example TUPE) and we must ensure that post-Brexit, the private security industry does not go backwards towards a state of deregulation, but continues on its positive journey of raising standards and increased contribution to the wider security family in its fight against crime and terrorism.
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