Police leaders are being forced to divert precious resources to working out how to cope with protests, disorder and the sudden loss of access to vital information in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

One of the UK’s most senior officers warned fallback plans agreed by chief constables this week were still “slower, more bureaucratic and ultimately less effective” than the systems currently used.

The Home Office has allocated £2m for a dedicated new unit of 50 police officers and staff, who will prepare for the possibility of public disorder, protests and disruption on transport and at borders, and re-learn how to use outdated methods of accessing information that is currently accessible via shared databases.

Simon Kempton, operational lead for the Police Federation of England and Wales, said it was “highly concerning that with Brexit only six months away we still don’t know what the policing landscape will look like,” adding: “The government – as ever – needs to get its house in order to avoid Brexit being at best a bureaucratic nightmare and at worse a dangerous situation created by its inability to provide certainty.”

He told The Independent that both Brexit planning and the projected reality was adding further strain onto forces that are already dealing with a huge rise in 999 calls, violent crime, the terror threat and government cuts.

“My worry is that the officers used to staff this unit will need to be diverted from other already stretched areas, thus creating more capacity and back-filling issues,” Mr Kempton said.

“There have been discussions about cancelling officers’ rest days and putting a moratorium on leave in the weeks and even months immediately pre and post 29 March … Planning and resourcing around [potential disorder] will put further strain on a service which is already struggling from years of cuts and a lack of investment and support.”

Police say there is 'no alternative' to the Schengen Information System (PA)

Britain risks losing access to 40 tools, including Europol, the European arrest warrant and Schengen Information System II (SIS II) – a huge database containing information on terrorists, criminals, missing people and objects, to which the police say there is “no alternative”.

It may also be locked out of the European Criminal Records Information System and Eurojust if an agreement to allow continued cooperation is not struck.

The EU’s chief negotiatior, Michel Barnier, said in June that the UK would lose access to the European arrest warrant and no longer have a managing role on Europol.

He said that while the EU was open to exchanging intelligence with the UK, it could not be based “on access to EU-only or Schengen-only databases”.

Sara Thornton, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said: “Existing EU tools allow us to respond quickly and intelligently to crime and terrorism in the UK and the EU – they make us better at protecting the public.

“The alternatives we are planning to use, where they exist, are without exception slower, more bureaucratic and ultimately less effective.”

Under current systems it would take an average of six days to check if a foreign national has criminal convictions in their home country, but in the event of no-deal that would extend to an estimated 66 days.

For every one person currently arrested on a UK-issued European arrest warrant, the UK arrests eight people on warrants issued by other member states.

British officers checked SIS II 539 million times in 2017 alone, with their equipment currently searching the system and the police national criminal database simultaneously.

Ms Thornton said the loss of UK contributions would also be felt in Europe, with Britain currently one of the biggest intelligence contributors to Europol and leading half of its operational coordination meetings.

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Show all 8 1 /8 The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Post-Brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. PA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Customs union A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that “Brexit means Brexit” and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UK’s economic outlook become clearer. Alamy The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Northern Ireland-Irish border Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Party’s coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a “specific solution” would need to be found. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Transition period Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Rights of EU citizens living the UK The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreement (with the EU) Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreements (internationally) The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Financial services Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period. Getty

“We have agreed a model that minimises the risks and makes best use of already pressured police resources,” she added. “It does not predict a worst-case scenario but it does prepare for it.”

The contingency plans were agreed by all chief constables in England and Wales, and the new unit will also work with Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

They will see UK law enforcement revert to use of international police tools through Interpol, bilateral channels and Council of Europe conventions to enable criminals to be extradited, trace missing people and share intelligence about crime and terrorism.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Martin, the NPCC lead for Brexit, said police “remain hopeful” that a deal will be struck allowing continued access to the instruments.

“Criminals don’t respect borders,” he added, warning that the UK and EU may no longer be able to share real-time alerts for wanted persons, including serious criminals.

“We would respond less swiftly to alerts for missing people … and our collective ability to map terrorist and criminal networks across Europe and bring those responsible to justice would be reduced.”

Last week, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick revealed her force was preparing for potential disorder around Dover, and leaders say they have conducted threat assessments and are preparing for all “possible outcomes”.

Earlier this year, the Home Affairs Committee warned that Britain was on course for a "catastrophic" Brexit security deal that could see criminals and terrorists go free.

MPs condemned both UK and EU negotiators for endangering the security of their citizens by refusing to cross political “red lines” and called on the UK to submit to European Court of Justice jurisdiction.

Then in August, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) wrote to the government warning a no-deal Brexit would put public safety at risk and reduce policing capacity in Britain.