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National Crime Agency to 'relentlessly pursue' organised crime National Crime Agency to 'relentlessly pursue' organised crime
(about 2 hours later)
A new body to tackle some of the UK's most serious crimes has been launched. The body launched to tackle the UK's most serious crimes will "relentlessly pursue" those responsible, Home Secretary Theresa May has said.
Labelled the "British FBI", the National Crime Agency (NCA) will "relentlessly pursue" organised criminals, the home secretary said. The National Crime Agency - dubbed "the British FBI" - will tackle organised and economic crime, border policing, child protection and cyber crime.
Theresa May told the BBC it would be at the centre of a new strategy to combat serious and organised crime. It replaces a number of existing bodies but has significantly less funding.
It will replace a number of existing bodies but will have significantly less funding. Labour has called the move a "rebranding exercise". Labour said it was a "rebranding exercise" that did not "live up to the home secretary's hype".
It is the third time since 1998 that an organised crime body has been set up. On the day the NCA was launched, Mrs May also revealed the government's serious and organised crime strategy, which includes plans to ensure criminal assets cannot be hidden by spouses, that assets are frozen earlier and that prison sentences are increased for criminals who fail to pay confiscation orders.
The National Crime Squad was set up 15 years ago, only to be replaced eight years later by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) - which is now being scrapped. The strategy also includes extra funding for regional police organised crime units and a crackdown on foreign organised criminals.
The new agency has four "commands": organised crime, economic crime, borders, and the formerly separate Ceop - the agency that covers child exploitation and online protection. 'No rebrand'
In the first operation led by officers from the agency, five people were arrested in morning raids in Liverpool, Warrington, Bromley, Brentwood and Troon as part of a crackdown on suspected identity fraudsters. The National Crime Agency, with its budget of close to £500m a year, will lead the fight against the estimated 37,000 criminals involved in organised and serious crime in the UK.
'Pernicious problem' It replaces the Serious Organised Crime Agency, which was formed in April 2006.
The home secretary denied establishing the NCA was a rebranding exercise. The NCA, which will work with regional police forces in the UK and similar organisations abroad, will have 4,500 officers and aims to adopt a more visible, joined-up approach than previously.
She said: "We're taking a whole new approach to the fight against organised crime. In the first operation led by officers from the the new agency, five people were arrested in morning raids in Liverpool, Warrington, Bromley, Brentwood and Troon as part of a crackdown on suspected identity fraudsters.
Mrs May said: "We're taking a whole new approach to the fight against organised crime.
"The NCA will be looking at a wider range of organised crime and working with police forces and others across government in addressing this pernicious problem in our society."The NCA will be looking at a wider range of organised crime and working with police forces and others across government in addressing this pernicious problem in our society.
"We will be ensuring the relentless disruption of organised criminals.""We will be ensuring the relentless disruption of organised criminals."
Mrs May confirmed there would be a review to examine whether counter-terrorism policing functions should move to the NCA in the future.Mrs May confirmed there would be a review to examine whether counter-terrorism policing functions should move to the NCA in the future.
The NCA will work with the regional police forces in the UK and similar organisations abroad. The agency's head, Keith Bristow, said that, unlike Soca, it would not be a covert organisation and some officers would wear clothing bearing the NCA logo when on operations.
The agency will have 4,500 officers and aims to adopt a more visible, joined-up approach than previously. "We are going to make a difference the public will see," he told the BBC and warned criminals to expect "continuous disruption", including the confiscation of their assets.
It will also be recruiting "special" officers - volunteers similar to special constables in police forces. But shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told BBC News that, while the NCA was "important and we wish it well, this is rebranding from existing organisations and, unfortunately, with a 20% budget cut".
Its head, Keith Bristow, warned criminals to expect "continuous disruption", including the confiscation of their assets. Shadow policing minister David Hanson said the new organisation was "not strong enough to deal with the exponential growth of economic and online crime".
"We are going to make a difference the public will see," he told the BBC, adding that the "British FBI" label was "reasonable shorthand" for the new body. It would absorb the existing national cyber crime unit but with fewer resources, he added.
Mrs May said the economic crime command was new and would "increase our ability to deal with economic crime and fraud". However, Mrs May told the BBC she was satisfied the NCA would be "well resourced", adding that the government had already shown it was "possible to keep up that relentless fight against crime" with less money.
'Not strong enough' Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee said: "The organisations going into the NCA have a combined budget of £812m, yet the new agency will only have £473.9m next year.
But shadow policing minister David Hanson said the NCA did not match "the government's hype".
"Most of the NCA is just the rebranding of existing organisations such as the Serious Organised Crime Agency but with a substantial 20% cut imposed by the Home Office on their overall budget," he said.
"The new organisation is not strong enough to deal with the exponential growth of economic and online crime."
It would absorb the existing national cyber crime unit but with fewer resources, he said.
However, Mrs May told the BBC she was satisfied that the NCA was "going to be well resourced".
She said the government had already shown it was "possible to keep up that relentless fight against crime" with less money.
Keith Vaz, chairman of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee said: "The organisations going into the NCA have a combined budget of £812m, yet the new agency will only have £473.9m next year.
"The Home Office needs to account for where this money has gone.""The Home Office needs to account for where this money has gone."
The NCA will answer directly to the home secretary and will have significant powers to compel police forces in England, Scotland and Wales to provide assistance and carry out policing operations.The NCA will answer directly to the home secretary and will have significant powers to compel police forces in England, Scotland and Wales to provide assistance and carry out policing operations.
It will have a strategic role attempting to look at the bigger picture of organised crime in the UK, how it operates and how it can be disrupted.It will have a strategic role attempting to look at the bigger picture of organised crime in the UK, how it operates and how it can be disrupted.
The situation will be different in Northern Ireland, where the agency will carry out border and customs functions but not other crime-fighting roles.The situation will be different in Northern Ireland, where the agency will carry out border and customs functions but not other crime-fighting roles.
Mr Hanson said this would leave a "serious operational gap"."It is extremely worrying that organised crime which crosses between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK will not be properly dealt with because the home secretary mishandled the legislation with the relevant parties in Northern Ireland," he said. Northern Ireland Justice Minster said the NCA's limited powers in Northern Ireland would place "an additional burden" on the PSNI.