Local villains will walk free under Tory and UKIP plans says MEP

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 19th May 2009

335 dangerous British criminals would have walked free under Conservative and UKIP policy on Europe, according to research by the Liberal Democrats after Conservative MEPs voted against the European Arrest Warrant (EAW), which has slashed extradition times across the EU from an average of eighteen months to just 43 days.

The European Arrest Warrant helped to capture Warwickshire man Mariusz Szpyt who murdered a Polish man in Warwickshire before fleeing back to his native Poland. It was also used to capture convicted Shropshire travel company fraudster David Oakley, who was captured in France after being on the run for more than four years.

David Cameron's Conservative party would allow hundreds of murderers, thieves, rapists and paedophiles to walk free if they get their way in upcoming European elections on 4 June.

Commenting, West Midlands Liberal Democrat MEP Liz Lynne, who is No 1 on the regions list for the Liberal Democrats in the upcoming elections said:

"The fact is that terrorists, rapists and paedophiles would have walked free if we would not have had the European Arrest Warrant and yet this is something that UKIP and Conservative MEPs have consistently opposed, putting our lives and those of our children at risk.

"The Tories say they are tough on crime but the reality is that they have fought tooth and nail against the European Arrest Warrant because they'd rather isolate us all in Europe than work together proactively with other countries to catch serious criminals.

"Liberal Democrats believe we can only tackle cross border crime, such as clamping down on international paedophile rings, drug trafficking, human trafficking for sexual exploitation and terrorism effectively if we work with other countries. Liberal Democrats believe we are stronger together in tackling crime and poorer apart.

"In opposing the European Arrest Warrant the Conservatives and UKIP have put the public at risk. The Tories should get real before the criminals get us.""