§ Sir Richard BodyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances officers in Europol will be authorised to carry arms when engaged in operations in the United Kingdom. [117577]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeEuropol officers have no such operational powers and do not carry arms in the course of their duties.
§ Sir Richard BodyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what operations have been carried out jointly by Europol and police in the United Kingdom. [117584]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThere have been no such operations carried out in the United Kingdom.
§ Sir Richard BodyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) where the training college for Europol will be established: [117579]
(2) if he will make a statement about the purpose of the training college for Europol. [117578]
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§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThere are no plans to establish a training college for Europol. The Tampere European Council in October 1999 agreed that a European Police College should be established for the training of senior law enforcement officials, starting as a network of existing national training institutes. Proposed objectives for the network include strengthening knowledge of existing European Union instruments in the area of law enforcement, improving co-operation and co-ordination between European Union law enforcement training institutes with regard to European and cross-border co-operation and providing training for law enforcement agencies of Accession states. The United Kingdom has offered to host the secretariat for the network. Its location is yet to be decided.
§ Sir Richard BodyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Europol officers operating in the United Kingdom will wear a uniform. [117583]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeEuropol staff have no such operational powers and do not wear uniforms in the course of their duties.
§ Sir Richard BodyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances a United Kingdom police force can refuse to carry out an operation proposed to be carried out under provisions of the Treaty of Amsterdam. [117575]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe United Kingdom's application to participate in the police co-operation provisions of the Schengen Implementing Convention, which has been incorporated by the Treaty of Amsterdam into the Treaty on European Union, is still under negotiation. Measures under Article 30 of the Treaty on European Union on joint teams involving Europol are still under discussion.
Police forces in the United Kingdom attach importance to assisting, and being assisted by, counterpart authorities abroad in criminal investigations and proceedings. The decision on whether to seek or provide such assistance is for individual chief officers of police. In general, assistance will be provided, in accordance with domestic law and procedures, but it may be withheld in exceptional circumstances, for example, on grounds of national security. The police co-operation provisions in the Schengen Implementing Convention and the Treaty on European Union will not affect this current practice.