Yesterday (October 7) saw the launch of the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), described as Britain’s answer to the FBI and marked the end of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), which will be absorbed into the new organisation.
Armed with a budget next year of £473.9m next year, the NCA will “relentlessly pursue” the perpetrators of serious organised crime and will incorporate organised crime, economic crime, borders and the formerly separate Ceop, the agency that covers child exploitation and online protection. It will also have around 120 officers based overseas in 40 different countries.
The first operation carried out by the NCA was a series of dawn raids carried out by NCA officers supported by local police across the UK yesterday on 10 locations, in a bid to crack down on suspected identity fraud when eight people were arrested.
The arrests in London, Merseyside, Cheshire, Humberside, Essex and Scotland, included individuals suspected of fraudulently applying for genuine passports or driving licences using hijacked or stolen identities. More arrests are expected.
Keith Bristow, NCA Director General, said that the operation demonstrated what the NCA is capable of right from day one, which is co-ordinating law enforcement and government agencies from across the country to focus on an issue that is a key enabler for organised crime.
Some officers from the agency will wear jackets and caps bearing their new name and logo, as Mr Bristow said he wants his force to be recognised by criminals, who should fear its attention.
Criminals are also being targeted by the Government’s serious and organised crime strategy, announced yesterday, which includes plans to ensure that criminal assets cannot be hidden by spouses, that assets are frozen earlier in criminal proceedings and that prison sentences are increased for criminals who fail to pay confiscation orders.