European Council Clarifies Roles of Europol and European Union Police Force

On November 30, 2000, the European Council replied to a written question submitted on July 11, 2000 by Jeffrey Titford (EDD) to the Council on the authorities and roles of Europol and the European Union Police force. To questions about the current number of police officers employed by Europol, how many are British subjects, and the number of non-police officer support staff, the Council replied that Europol has no operational powers. Article 3 of the Europol Convention clearly limits the tasks of Europol to supporting the EU Member States by providing intelligence and technical support only. Europol has no power to take operational action, such as arresting suspects…[more]