The European Arrest Warrant as a Transnational Policing Tool

Abstract The European Arrest Warrant is a transnational policing tool. It facilitates the transfer of law enforcement power from the requesting state, across national boundaries, to co-opt the criminal justice agencies of the executing state. The warrant is given effect by police in the executing state through the application of coercive force. Based on empirical data collected between 2016 and 2017 this paper explores the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) from the perspective of the police agencies involved in its operation. It describes the pivotal role that law enforcement agencies play in Europe’s system of surrender, arguing that the EAW (and its post-Brexit successor) is a mechanism for the mutual recognition of the use of force, the defining feature of the police.