UK's 'FBI' to hit crime chiefs

Published on Tuesday 4 April 2006 01:24

Key quote "It does not matter how far removed you are from the street where the crimes, people-trafficking, prostitution and drugs are taking place. We will have the powers to come after you, to get you, to put you in jail" – Tony Blair

Story in full THE government yesterday declared war on Britain's millionaire crime lords with specialist law-enforcement forces modelled on the American FBI.

Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, unveiled the Serious Organised Crime Agency, promising it would make life "hell" for a hardcore of about 400 professional criminals whose operations have netted them millions of pounds.

SOCA, Britain's first non-police law-enforcement agency, will have limited powers in Scotland. North of the Border, the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency is being given extra powers and resources to match the new agency.

According to the Home Office, the UK is home to around 400 major crime bosses. Each controls assets and businesses worth an average of 1.1 million.

The Prime Minister said that SOCA, which will be run by Sir Stephen Lander, a former head of MI5, would target those who co-ordinate criminal empires, and who have often appeared immune to prosecution.

"It does not matter how far removed you are from the street where the crimes, people-trafficking, prostitution and drugs are taking place," Mr Blair said.

"We will have the powers to come after you, to get you, to put you in jail and then to make sure that even after you leave jail you are subject to restrictions on your financial activities for a long, long time to come."

Loosely modelled on the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation, SOCA will have permanent overseas offices to help tackle international gangs.

The agency combines a range of law-enforcement bodies, including the National Crime Squad, the National Criminal Intelligence Service and some parts of HM Customs and Revenue and the immigration service.

Those last two elements will give it the ability to act in Scotland, a UK-wide reach shared only with the British Transport Police and MI5, the Security Service. SOCA will ultimately have 4,200 staff and a budget of 400 million.

About 40 per cent of its funding will be spent on anti-drugs operations, 25 per cent will go on organised immigration crime, 10 per cent on fraud and 15 per cent on other organised crime.

The distribution of resources will be similar to that adopted by the SDEA, which will be renamed the Scottish Crime and Drug Agency to reflect the full range of its activities.

While SOCA will have high-powered leadership, doubts remain about whether Graeme Pearson, the head of the Scottish agency, will be given similar clout.

Despite pressure from opposition parties for the SDEA director to be given a rank equal to that of Scotland's eight chief constables, Scottish Executive officials yesterday confirmed ministers intended to keep Mr Pearson's post at the same level of a deputy chief constable.

And while SOCA is a non-police body, its Scottish equivalent is part of the police service.

Rank-and-file Scottish police officers have expressed concerns about the laws that created the SOCA, which could give the Home Secretary some power to "direct" Scottish forces.

But a "concordat" between ministers in London and Edinburgh means the Home Office will only ever exercise those powers in discussion with the Executive.

Despite assurances of such cross-border co-operation, some insiders also have concerns that SOCA's creation could spark "turf wars" between the law- enforcement agencies.

And Bill Hughes, SOCA's operational commander, admitted his officers would identify themselves as "Police SOCA" when making arrests, to ensure people recognised their authority.

Opposition parties gave qualified support for SOCA's birth yesterday, arguing that its creation weakened the government's case to amalgamate some English police forces to better combat threats including organised crime.