Key Facts

• The Extradition (Provisional Arrest) Bill has been introduced in the House of Lords.
• The bill seeks to align UK extradition processes with international norms.
• The Bill does not alter existing extradition safeguards or judicial oversight.
• In 2017, a child rapist wanted by one of the covered countries was released due to lack of immediate arrest powers.
• Currently, over 60% of arrests made under part 1 of the Extradition Act 2003 result from chance encounters.
• The Bill initially applies to alerts from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.
• The Bill applies to extradition requests from Australia, Canada, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the USA.
• Max Hill stated that the Bill strikes a balance between human rights safeguards and public protection.
• The European Arrest Warrant was used for 15,540 requests in 2018-19 with 1,412 arrests related to EAW and 919 surrenders.
• The European arrest warrant has been Britain’s best crime-fighting tool for 16 years.
• Germany, Slovenia, and Austria do not extradite their own citizens to other countries except under the European arrest warrant.
• The UK could become a 'honeypot' for Europe's criminals if proper extradition arrangements are not in place post-Brexit.
• Jim Shannon has spoken about extradition multiple times in the House.
• The Bill includes Australia, Canada, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Switzerland, USA, and some EU countries as initial territories.
• The Lords amendments introduce safeguards to prevent extradition abuse by countries with poor human rights records.
• Double criminality is required for extradition but can be waived on a reciprocal basis for serious offences.
• Political offences are generally grounds for refusing extradition but exclude certain specified terrorist offences.
• The Bill allows UK law enforcement officers to arrest suspects wanted for serious offences based on certified extradition requests.
• The process aims to expedite proceedings through which suspects enter the criminal justice system.
• Consultation with devolved Administrations and relevant NGOs is necessary before adding territories.
• The loss of the European arrest warrant capability is a significant concern.
• The Bill applies to a limited number of countries with which the UK has an extremely good relationship.
• It allows police to arrest individuals wanted for serious offences immediately upon identification, rather than waiting for formal extradition requests.
• All existing safeguards under part 2 of the Extradition Act 2003 will continue to apply.