Ireland has finally gained full access to the Schengen Information System (SIS II) on March 15, 2021, after the EU Council approved the Irish government’s request to join the system on December 10, 2020.
The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, and Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, have today welcomed Ireland’s connection to the Schengen Information System (SIS II).
The Schengen Information System is the largest and most widely used IT system for public security in Europe, with 30 countries participating. The system 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.
Welcoming Ireland’s accession, Minister McEntee said,
“The Schengen Information System is the largest law enforcement database in Europe and Ireland’s connection to it will strengthen law enforcement cooperation and enhance security in Europe.An Garda Síochána and my Department have been working towards this since 2016. Gardaí have had to build and test the complex IT infrastructure and develop the training needed to complete the connection to SIS II and my Department has drafted the enabling legislation and conducted the necessary negotiations with the EU institutions involved.I am confident that this will be a game-changer for Gardaí in their fight against cross-border crime.”
Ireland is not a member of the Schengen common travel area but takes part in some policing co-operation arrangements which are part of the Schengen Agreement and can now provide and receive data under SIS II. For example, all missing persons, persons in respect of whom an EAW exists, and certain categories of identifiable objects will be subject to a SIS II alert and shared on the SIS II database.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said,
“We in An Garda Síochána have been working towards the implementation of the Schengen Information System in Ireland for some time and are pleased to see it come into operation today.
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.I wish to acknowledge the tremendous amount of work and commitment by all involved in developing this system and particularly want to thank the personnel of An Garda Síochána in the newly established SIRENE Bureau who will be responsible on a round the clock basis for the management of Ireland’s participation in SIS II.”
An Garda Síochána has 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.
The 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, which will operate on a 24/7 basis to ensure a timely response to alerts.