Member

However, the TCA—this document negotiated by the previous Government—offered the opportunity for Europol offices to be embedded inside the UK. It says we “should” embed in Europol in The Hague, but it “may” embed in the UK, and obviously at this moment that has not happened. Will the Minister encourage Europol to embed officers inside the police services in this country as well? Largely, the reason is to do with transfer of information. Some of the things which we know about the people engaged in these criminal gangs are contained within databases to which we do not have access. But a Europol officer sitting alongside another officer may well have that access and, given sympathetic interpretation of the TCA, may well be able to get that information and move it forward.