Ireland will resume building out its interface with the EU-wide law enforcement database after a Budget 2019 funding boost which was scheduled under the revised 2016 spending estimates.

Efforts to link in with EU-wide policing and judicial co-operation under the 1990 Schengen Convention were suspended in Ireland during the financial crash of 2009-2010, despite advanced preparations at the time. 

The state-of-the-art second-generation EU-wide Schengen Information System for law enforcement co-operation (‘SIS II’) allows automated information exchange between border authorities, customs and police in different jurisdictions.   

The Government has pledged to improve State entry-point policing through enhanced international inter-operability in order to prevent suspected, dangerous or wanted criminals or prospective terrorists from entering the country.

Ireland opted in to certain obligations of Schengen in relation to policing, judicial and law enforcement co-operation in February 2002.

Extradition requests

The SIS II database, which went live in April 2013, includes information on extradition requests, whereabouts of undesirable persons; minor age; mental illness; missing person status; a need for protection; requests by a judicial authority and suspicion of crime. 

SIS II also keeps data on lost or stolen weapons, identity documents, vehicles and banknotes. There are 46 million entries, known as alerts, in SIS II. 

SIS membership also facilitates legal mutual assistance between EU member nations. DPP Claire Loftus in her annual report, recently confirmed that her office dealt with 62 requests for European Arrest Warrants in 2017.

The number of legal mutual assistance requests doubled to 133 last year.

A Justice Department spokesman confirmed that maintaining the Common Travel Area between Ireland and Britain is a Government priority and precludes participation in the Schengen (travel) Area.