IRELAND ISSUED 71 European arrest warrants in 2011 and received over 380 from other EU member states, according to the latest figures released by the Minister for Justice Alan Shatter.

In 2011, 177 warrants received by Ireland on foot of requests by other EU states results in the surrender of persons, the Annual Report for 2011 on the operation of European arrest warrants says.

The main offences cited in the warrants received in Ireland last year concerned fraud, drug offences, murder (and grievous bodily harm) and sexual offences (including child sexual abuse). Two of the warrants concerned human trafficking offences.

Meanwhile, of the warrants received in Ireland between 2004 and 2010, 554 were still ongoing last year. Of these, 246 were completed last year, including 59 which were withdrawn, 21 closed following arrest elsewhere, 22 were released and 144 saw Surrender Orders carried out throughout the year.

The remaining 308 were still at “various stages of processing” by the end of last year, according to the report, along with a further 300 warrants received last year.

Ireland received 384 European arrest warrants in 2011 concerning nationals from 17 countries: Poland (260 warrants), Ireland (28), Lithuania (20), UK (14), Czech Republic (14),  Latvia (11), Romania (8), Slovakia (8), Hungary (7), Germany (5), Cameroon (2), Iraq (2), and one from each of Estonia, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Lebanon and Morocco.

The warrants were issued by authorities in 15 different EU states.

Ireland issued 71 warrants last year – up from 51 in 2010. Of these 24 were closed and 47 ongoing as of 31 December 2011. They concerned individuals from 11 different EU member states, the bulk of which (53 warrants) concerned UK citizens.

Read the Annual Report for 2011 on the operation of European arrest warrants in full >