The Impact of Brexit on Vulnerability: Using a Theoretical Lens of Transnational and Local Linkages

In the first section of this chapter there is a broad context setting of Brexit drawing on literature and relevant policy documentary source materials. Then a short examination of some extant politics, geography, cultural, sociology and business/strategy literature on transnational linkages and local connections to frame the later discussion of findings, on what the consequences arising from Brexit might mean for UK policing and security (and other emergency and blue light services) and the criminal justice system.
The findings are discussed through the lens of transnational theory, which has not previously been adopted to examine this specific policy field. Discussion of the findings at both transnational and local scales are analysed separately to identify the transnational challenges and local consequences, and then a synthetic section links the transnational to the local scale to show that relationships and inter-connections across spatial levels within policing, security and criminal justice may have detrimental impacts on how agencies respond to an escalation in vulnerable individuals and groups at local levels. We conclude by suggesting that policing, security and criminal justice have hitherto, been largely absent from political and academic discussions on Brexit; the implications of Brexit will have far reaching and long term consequences in this policy domain with a severe potential knock-on effect of a rise in ‘wicked’ social issues.