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New tool for UK policing to support criminal investigations

My hon Friend the Minister of State for Policing and Crime (Sarah Jones) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:

From today, UK police will have access to an EU tool to check vehicle and keeper details to support criminal investigations. This reciprocal data sharing will provide an additional avenue of investigation including tackling cross-border crime as well as serious crimes committed in the UK.

This capability will play a crucial role in assisting police in the UK and across Europe in cracking down on a multitude of crimes including, trafficking of illicit substances, sexual offences and serious assaults (including murder). It will also assist the police in monitoring suspicious activity such as, minor driving-related offences.

A simple search on a secure web portal will return results in 10 seconds and, in the case of a match, will provide police with the name of the vehicle keeper and important information about the vehicle. The results will also include markers on cars flagged as stolen, which can be used by police forces in helping to tackle the issue of car theft in the UK.

Vehicle registration data exchanges are provided for in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and this step will contribute to our ongoing efforts to deepen the close cooperation between UK law enforcement and their European counterparts.