UK government investigates police handover of crime case to US military

The UK government has launched a review into how police handle crimes involving US military personnel. The review follows a case in Cambridgeshire, where police handed a criminal case to US military authorities in December 2023. The crime happened outside a US base and involved off-duty personnel, so British police should normally have kept control of the investigation. The Guardian newspaper investigated the case, and this prompted the government to act. The Prime Minister's office called the situation "deeply distressing". A local Conservative MP has demanded to know who decided to give up UK jurisdiction. Under agreements between the two countries, British law enforcement has primary responsibility for crimes committed off-base by off-duty personnel. However, US military authorities have been seeking to take on more of these cases.