April 1992
“The National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) is a United Kingdom policing agency set up as a separate body to centralize the gathering and distribution of intelligence on serious and organized criminal matters. The media have heralded the creation of NCIS as being similar to the FBI. NCIS will be formed out of the National Drugs Intelligence Unit in the Home Office. NCIS will concentrate on drugs, financial crime, immigration, firearms and organized crime.
April 1998
“The National Crime Squad (NCS) is to be a police organisation which will deal mainly with organised and major crimes. Formed from the amalgamation of six former Regional Crime Squads, the NCS will report directly to the Home Office and will have nationwide and international jurisdiction.
It will primarily deal with organised crime, major drug trafficking, illegal arms dealing, human trafficking, computer and high-tech crime, money counterfeiting and laundering, extortion, kidnapping and murder relating to any of the above. Lastly, it will augment and support regional forces throughout the United Kingdom.
The unit has been likened to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)”.
September 2005
“The Home Office is setting up the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) to tackle high level criminality in an “efficient and ruthless” manner. Due to be operational from 2006, the SOCA represents the biggest shake-up of our national policing structure since 1992.
Swiftly dubbed the British version of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) by the media, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) brings together the responsibilities once shared by the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and the National Crime Squad (NCS), while also taking on organised crime investigations previously handled by the immigration service and Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise”.
July 2010
“Plans for a massive shake-up in policing in England and Wales are set to be outlined by the home secretary. A new national crime-fighting agency, likely to be
dubbed Britain’s FBI, is among
Theresa May’s proposals. The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) is expected to be scrapped just four years after it was set up by Labour. SOCA will be replaced by the
National Crime Agency (NCA), which will include a new border police unit, the child exploitation and online protection centre (CEOP) and parts of the National Policing Improvement Agency.
* sigh *
Now, I'm not one to fucking well Labour a point but the Cleggeron Coalition certainly seem to be. Not to mention the little matter of £15 million quid of tax payers' cash for that shiny new logo, eh.
Just saying.