LOSING access to European security arrangements post-Brexit will only benefit criminals, Scotland’s Justice Secretary has said.

Humza Yousaf said that regardless of what preparations are made for a no-deal outcome, nothing will prove as effective in bringing people to justice than current arrangements as a member of the EU.

His comments came after Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Martin said criminals could potentially exploit the UK no longer being a part of measures such as the European Arrest Warrant.

Yousaf said: “Anything that is a move away from what we currently have is a dilution. The only people that will benefit will be those trying to escape from the law.

“It doesn’t matter how many preparations we make, the UK Government makes, the Met Police force or indeed Police Scotland make, it doesn’t matter what we put in place, if you do not have access to something like the European Arrest Warrant, the only people that will benefit will be those who are able to evade justice for longer.”

“We can be as stringent as we want, we can be as robust as we possibly want, but if we don’t have an extradition treaty with a country, that could take more than a year. If somebody was absconding for some of the worst crimes – murder, rape or anything else – that would give them plenty of time to evade the law.”