The NCA is a new crime-fighting agency with national and international reach and the mandate and powers to work in partnership with other law enforcement organisations to bring the full weight of the law to bear in cutting serious and organised crime. That is the theory but time will tell whether they succeed in this high ideal.
It is said that the NCA will respond on a 24/7 basis, targeting criminals and groups they believe pose the biggest risks to the UK. It does this in three ways namely by conducting its own operations, by providing operational and specialist support to its partners’ operations and by providing clear national leadership which ensures that UK law enforcement makes the best use of its collective resources and targets those most effectively.
It does sound as if this model has been recommended and tried previously. It is not yet clear why this organisation is going to succeed where, it appears, others have failed. The idea that they ‘will build a single comprehensive picture of serious and organised crime affecting the UK, drawing on information and intelligence from a wide range of sources, which drives their own and partners’ operational activity’ sounds like a good idea but then again business speak is similarly impressive but does not, on its own, deliver anything (if you ignore ridicule).
Somehow the NCA has managed to obtain funding to deliver a national response through four pillars of:
•Pursue – identify and disrupt serious and organised crime by investigating and enabling the prosecution of those responsible
•Prevent – people from becoming involved in serious and organised criminal activity
•Protect – reduce the impact of serious and organised crime
•Prepare – strengthen protection against serious and organised crime
We have seen these ideals elsewhere but the organisation does clearly have ambitions and, apparently, the powers to carry out its ambitions. You need more than the power to deliver. They will need to operate within the rule of law and comply with the rules of evidence and of court. Usually the authorities fall down on the presentation of the cases as the more powers they have the more likely they will abuse those powers.
What is clear is that to defend proceedings brought by or on behalf of the NCA will need defence lawyers of high calibre. Not just any solicitors can deal adequately with such cases.
Contact Dennis Clarke to discuss your needs and agree a fee structure to deal with this.
Phone: 01732360999, Fax : 01732353835, fraud@clarkekiernan.com, Map