Ireland joins European crime information sharing system 

The Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner have welcomed the country joining the Schengen Information System

SIS II is the most widely used IT system for public security in Europe. File picture

Ireland has today joined 30 countries in connecting to the largest IT system for public security in Europe.

Both the Minister for Justice and Garda Commissioner has welcomed the country joining the Schengen Information System (SIS II).

SIS II is the most widely used IT system for public security in Europe.

It enables law enforcement agencies to share and check data on wanted persons, missing persons, persons who may not have the right to enter or stay in the EU, and objects/vehicles that may have been stolen, misappropriated, or lost.

Helen McEntee said that connection to it “will strengthen law enforcement cooperation and enhance security in Europe”.

The Justice Minister said” “I am confident that this will be a game-changer for Gardaí in their fight against cross-border crime.” The EU Council had approved Ireland’s connection to SIS II in December and it became fully operational today.

Commissioner Drew Harris said the Gardaí have been working toward the implementation of SIS II “for some time”.

The Commissioner said: “The benefits that SIS II will bring to policing in Ireland cannot be understated.

“Having access to the SIS II databases which contain law enforcement data from across 30 EU and associated Schengen countries, gives An Garda Síochána and our law enforcement colleagues across Europe instant access to real time police data and intelligence.

“Accessing such information means that An Garda Síochána can swiftly deal with issues of serious crime with potential links to other European countries.” 

Gardaí have integrated the PULSE and Garda National Immigration Bureau databases with SIS II, and members of An Garda Síochána and staff of the Border Management Unit and Immigration Service (ISD) will have the ability to see SIS data on their workstations.

Gardaí added that a new SIRENE Bureau (Supplementary Information Request at the National Entries) within An Garda Síochána will be responsible for the daily management of the SIS system.

It will operate on a 24/7 basis to ensure a timely response to alerts.