Home Office to launch ‘British FBI’ to deal with serious crime UK-wide | Police

The government is making a major overhaul of policing in England and Wales, creating a National Police Service dubbed the “British FBI” to tackle organized crime, terrorism, fraud and online child exploitation.

The new organisation, which will be announced by the Home Office in a white paper on Monday, means fraud, gangland and UK-wide counter-terrorism investigations will no longer be carried out by existing agencies such as the National Crime Agency and regional organized crime units run by local police forces.

The National Police Service (NPS) will instead use “world-class talent” and “cutting-edge technology” to conduct these investigations at a national level, allowing local police officers to use more of their resources to crack down on less serious and complex local crimes such as shoplifting or antisocial behaviour.

Under the plans, the work of the counter-terrorism policing unit led by the Metropolitan police, the National Police Air Service run by West Yorkshire police, and national highways policing operations will all be carried out by the new NPS, which will share technology, intelligence and resources across borders.

“The current policing model was built for a different century,” Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood said.

“Some local forces do not have the skills or resources they need to tackle complex modern crimes such as fraud, online child exploitation or organized crime gangs,” he added.

“We will create a new National Police Service, dubbed the ‘British FBI’, using world-class talent and cutting-edge technology to track and capture dangerous criminals.

“By doing this, local forces will be able to spend more time fighting crime in their communities.”

The NPS will be led by a national police commissioner who will be the most senior police chief in the country. It will set standards and training for police forces and acquire new technology such as facial recognition cameras, a controversial move that has sparked fierce criticism on behalf of all police forces for its impact on privacy and human rights.

A joint statement from the Met, counter-terrorism policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “Modern crime requires a modern police response. We support and call for this ambitious step to bring together some of the most talented police teams in the country into one National Police Service.

“This builds on the high international respect that already exists among counter-terrorism policing partners whose capabilities and professionalism are recognized globally.

“But this transformation must be undertaken carefully. Its success depends on maintaining strong ties with local policing and the communities we serve.”

“Neighborhood officers remain indispensable in preventing organized crime and combating terrorism. Their relationships, insight and presence in the field are the foundation of public safety.

“As we implement this program of reform, preserving these vital local links will be vital to ensure the new National Police Service strengthens rather than separates the link between policing and the public.”

The NPS will be created in phases, working with existing agencies and regional organized crime units to transition.

Backing the plans, former head of counter-terrorism police Neil Basu said the NPS would be “much more capable as a single national security system, tackling major crime, organized crime and all forms of terrorism more effectively”.

Graeme Biggar, chief executive of the National Crime Agency, which will be merged with the new organisation, also supports the proposals.

“I am proud of the brilliant work that NCA officers do to protect the public from serious and organized crime and new and emerging threats,” he said. “But the overall policing system is outdated. Crime has changed, technology has changed and how we respond to that needs to change too.

“As part of reform, we need a single, stronger national law enforcement body, building on the NCA and others, to more coherently tackle organized crime, fraud, terrorism and the new international and online threats we face.”

Biggar added: “These are threats that affect us all locally, but they require a national and international response. Such a structure will allow us to improve the way we protect the public, our communities and the country.”

Metropolitan police chief Sir Mark Rowley has also previously supported the idea of ​​taking national responsibility for the fight against terrorism from his own organisation.

But the plans were met with concerns from police analyst Graham Wettone.

Wettone is a 30-year former front-line operations officer who specializes in policing public order, protests and demonstrations.

He said: “My concerns about these proposals are that they have primarily consulted the people who actually do the work – the operational frontline officers and frontline detectives, the detectives who go out to investigate crime, the uniformed police officers, the people who respond to calls.”

“I don’t believe they are. It seems to me from what I’ve heard that they’re mostly coming from the Home Office, people who advise or guide the Home Office on police needs, who have never actually done the job, police leaders who probably haven’t really done the job for a while.”

But he added: “Fraud investigations are complex so a national overview is likely needed.

This covers many parts of the country as there is now a huge amount of online fraud available; so it’s very, very difficult for a single force to manage this when your criminals and victims are in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Devon and Cornwall.

“So it makes sense. It makes sense to nationalize some elements because organized crime groups don’t stick to county lines. They literally operate across the country and will move people from power areas to power areas across the country.”