'Radical' police reforms to be unveiled

'Radical' police reforms to be unveiled

Sun Jul 25 2010 18:55:24

Home Secretary Theresa May will announce radical police reforms to tackle criminal gangs and drug smugglers later.

She is widely expected to outline proposals for a new police force, the National Crime Agency, to replace the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).

The Government has pledged to review Soca - which was heralded as "Britain's FBI" when it was launched by Labour in 2006 - as part of a "review of the wider policing landscape".

Mrs May will make a statement in the House of Commons this afternoon. A Home Office spokeswoman said: "The Government wants to ensure all aspects of policing are run effectively to tackle crime.

"This includes serious and organised crime, through strong links between local policing and work done beyond individual forces."

Last year the influential Commons Home Affairs Select Committee accused Soca of lacking transparency and accountability. The cross-party group of MPs pointed to figures that showed only £1 was seized from organised crime gangs for every £15 in Soca's budget.

http://itn.co.uk/c178b7145229c023b6bdbbe37ffee8ce.html

Last year the influential Commons Home Affairs Select Committee accused Soca of lacking transparency and accountability

Some like Mark Williams-Thomas are already posing the question "What will replacing the Serious Organised Agency mean for the Child Exploitation & Online Protection (CEOP)?" on twitter.

mwilliamsthomas

What will replacing the Serious Organised Ag mean for Child Exploitation & Online Protection(CEOP)? about 2 hours ago via UberTwitter

I gather that they are proposing to replace 43 regional Police Commissioners with one "super-Commissioner". I hope that this has been properly thought out! If all 43 Police authorities have different priorities, this could well tun out to be a right pigs' breakfast. It's not exactly filling me with confidence! Also, is it right fr one man or woman to have so much potential power?

The Famous Grouse wrote:I gather that they are proposing to replace 43 regional Police Commissioners with one "super-Commissioner". I hope that this has been properly thought out! If all 43 Police authorities have different priorities, this could well tun out to be a right pigs' breakfast. It's not exactly filling me with confidence! Also, is it right fr one man or woman to have so much potential power?

At a local level, the Police authorities which currently hold the 43 forces in England and Wales to account, are set to be abolished.

Elections will take place in May 2012 for police and crime commissioners to replace them, who will have powers to set police force budgets and hire and fire chief constables.

Also - Soca will be replaced by the National Crime Agency, which will include a new border police unit, the child exploitation and online protection centre (CEOP) and parts of the National Policing Improvement Agency, which it is thought will be phased out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10757014

]SOCA 'faces axe'

26th July 2010

The Serious and Organised Crime Agency, created just four years ago and presented as Britain's answer to the FBI, is to be scrapped by coalition ministers, it's reported.

A Home Office consultation to be published today will propose replacing the secretive organisation with a National Crime Agency, which would include a new specialist border policing unit and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).

The changes could mean a radical shake-up of how the internet is policed, although it's as yet unclear what would be substantially different about the National Crime Agency.

SOCA has responsibility for Britain's international collaborations on fighting cybercrime, which are crucial given that the majority of large scams originate overseas. It also acts as a central interception agency, tapping phones and the internet on behalf of police forces.

The restructuring would apparently also put paid to CEOP chief executive Jim Gamble's plans to take his organisation independent. It has so far been overseen by SOCA, but following lobbying the last government agreed to make it a non-departmental public body in its own right. Reports suggest that move is now off the agenda.

SOCA was itself created by the amalgamation of several existing police units in 2006, including the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit. It has since been repeatedly criticised for its excessive secrecy, and low conviction and criminal asset recovery rates.

Last month Britain's most senior policeman Sir Paul Stephenson criticised the lack of progress made on organised crime in recent years. He did however praise the Met's new Police Central e-Crime Unit, which has already had its small budget slashed by the Home Office.

The coalition's plans to do away with SOCA are due to be announced as part of the its policing strategy later today. The blueprint - "Policing in the 21st Century" - will also include proposals for directly-elected police commissioners and for the NPIA, the police IT quango, to be cut back.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/26/soca_bye/