Joint Investigation Teams

A joint investigation team (JIT) is an international cooperation tool based on an agreement between competent authorities of two or more states. They are established for a limited duration and for a specific purpose, to carry out criminal investigations in one or more of the states involved. The authorities involved include both judiciary (judges, prosecutors, investigative judges) and law enforcement.

JITs are becoming an ever more popular crime-fighting tool. This is because they speed up the sharing of information, the initiation of coercive measures, the exchange of evidence, and ultimately the prosecution and sentencing of offenders in cross-border investigations.

EU legislation specifies two particular situations in which a JIT can be established:

• demanding cross-border investigations;
• connected investigations requiring coordination.

In practice, JITs are often the best option for more serious and complex cross-border or transnational investigations which require fast and smooth coordination and the exchange of information and evidence over a longer period of time.

This module is aimed at current and potential practitioners in the field of JITs intending to tackle international crime affecting two or more countries. Practitioners may come from various backgrounds, both law enforcement and judicial. The module aims to raise awareness and understanding on how a JIT can benefit an investigation, and how it can be set up and run.

On completion of the module, the participants will be able to:

• Describe what a JIT is, the applicable EU and international legal frameworks that enable JITs to take place and the different types of support available to practitioners when setting up and running JITs.
• Demonstrate the practical steps leading to the setting up of a JIT with member states as well as non-EU countries.
• Summarise the operational and practical aspects of running a JIT, the secure and confidential management of the gathering and exchange of information and how to monitor and evaluate the performance of JITs;
• Assess the processes, procedures and advantages of JITs for obtaining and using evidence;
• Evaluate current JITs funding opportunities and how to apply to them.

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