Recommendation 8

HM Government · verbatim extract Not Addressed

10. The Government does not accept the Committee’s assessment that there is a lack of cooperation between UK investigative and prosecuting bodies, such as the War Crimes Unit of the Metropolitan Police, and the Crown Prosecution Service. 11. As the Home Secretary set out in her letter to the Committee, the War Crimes Team (WCT) is a unit within Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London (SO15), which is part of the Counter Terrorism Policing Network. The WCT has a network of Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs) in each of the CTP regions and has delivered training to CTP regions to raise awareness of core international crime legislation and its link with foreign terrorist fighters specifically. The WCT is part of the UK War Crimes Network, which was set up in late 2019 to bring together Government departments and civil society to deliver the UK’s ‘no safe haven’ policy for perpetrators of international crimes. That network includes Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Home Office, Attorney General Office (AGO), Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). 12. The CPS Counter Terrorism Division provides a national service, working with all police forces across England and Wales. They lead on all prosecutions relating to terrorism, core international crimes (CIC), national security and offences of stirring up hatred, and, where necessary, are supported by a network of liaison prosecutors stationed abroad working with CPS international partners. Close partnership working with the police and supporting early investigative advice are key features of their work. 13. The UK War Crimes Network, established in 2019 and jointly chaired by the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Team and the CPS, is a successful tool to achieve better information sharing, training and improved coordination between HMG departments. The War Crimes Network brings together policing, Government departments and civil society to deliver the UK’s ‘no safe haven’ policy for perpetrators of international crimes. The Network ensures regular coordination and cooperation across the UK, in the investigation and prosecution of serious international crimes on a national and international level. The meetings allow partners to consult and inform each other on law, policy and practice, and exchange relevant, non-sensitive information such as country studies and topical reports. The network is a successful tool to achieve better information sharing, training and improved coordination between HMG departments. 14. The CPS also engage routinely with many of its international counter parts on casework as much of the work has cross-border dimensions and involves multiple states. The CPS have strong working relationships with many key countries and represents HMG at the Eurojust Genocide Network, which is a critical organisation to the coordination and sharing of best practice in investigations into genocide and CICs. Additionally, via Eurojust, the CPS are also parties to several Joint Investigative Teams in respect of relevant investigations. 15. The WCT holds regular meetings with the Home Office and CPS to discuss casework. In respect of engagement with independent mechanisms such as the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CJIA) and Iraq’s National Centre for International Judicial Co-operation (NCIJC) under its Supreme Judicial Council, CTP has established MOUs with IIIM and CJIA, while HMG has an established MOU with IIMM and a recently updated MOU with the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council. Continuing to work closely with national and international partners and strengthening the UK’s networks will enable the better sharing and collection of evidence and information to bring about more robust prosecutions in the right forum.