The unfortunately named Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Cressida Dick, has suggested that Britain would be less safe after a “no deal” Brexit because, well, there would be some more paperwork to complete to extradite suspects from overseas.
To be fair, that’s not quite what she said but it wasn’t far off;
Ms Dick told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the UK’s policing co-operation with the EU was based on a framework of “legal instruments” which would have to be replaced after its exit.
While she hoped the two sides would end up with “something very similar”, she accepted that if the UK left without a deal, this would be “very difficult to do short term”.
Newsflash for Ms. Dick; the referendum was in 2016, you’ve had 2 years to plan for a “no deal”. You are surely not suggesting that this planning has only just commenced, or worse, hasn’t yet started, are you?
Also, please could you explain how a delay to an extradition makes the British public less safe? Thinking this through, an extradition request generally requires a crime to have been committed already so, in the case of a violent crime, the victim is already lying in a hospital bed or worse. It matters less that the perpetrator is languishing a little longer on the Costa Del Sol before facing a trial.
Bill’s Opinion
Either mature plans are already underway for the “no deal” option and Ms. Dick is deliberately scaremongering for political purposes, or plans are not in place and she and her colleagues are guilty of extreme professional negligence.
In the meantime, perhaps she could divert resources from investigating hurty tweets and towards the current knife crime crisis.
I think it’s quite likely that the heads of public bodies like the Met, big local authorities, the NHS, etc. are being nudged by Whitehall: “Have you made your Brexit scare statement yet? Remember, you did agree to in your meeting with Theresa, and time is getting on. Please give us a ring if you need help with the wording, etc…”
In the case of Big Swinging Dick, she certainly owes them a favour or two, having been promoted to the top job after a rather unfortunate and well-publicised operational error a few years ago.
Well, I’m not quite as far down the conspiracy path as you. Rather, I assume the heads of all these departments are “people like us”, that is, they are of the same social circles and therefore have thought the same way from such an early age that it’s natural to simply fall in line with the received opinion about “Brexit bad/Orange man bad”…
Tis the perfect question and one that no journo asks:
1. are you being dishonest about not being prepared – you will have had 2 years 9 months come march 19
2. are you incompetent and didn’t plan for one of the two possible outcomes, and the one which happens by default
Exactly. Let’s judge each of these people by their merits but the underlying suspicion tends to be their hearts aren’t in it.