BLAIR
BRITISH PRIME Minister Tony Blair formally launched the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) yesterday.
SOCA's goal is to disrupt and dismantle organised crime networks that cause harm to the United Kingdom (U.K.).
"Organised crime, like most crimes, tends to make victims of the poor as least as much, if not more, than the wealthy. So there is an imperative to act," said Prime Minister Blair.
The British High Commission said in a press statement that SOCA is a powerful new law enforcement body, created by the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.
The body, which formally commenced operations on April 1, brings together more than 4,000 people from the National Crime Squad, National Criminal Intelligence Service, HM Revenue and Customs, and U.K. Immigration Service.
ENFORCEMENT POWERS
According to the British Government, SOCA is an intelligence-led agency with law enforcement powers and harm reduction responsibilities. Harm in this context is the damage caused to people and communities by serious organised crime.
SOCA has been set up to tackle serious organised crime, inclu-ding drugs trafficking, organised immigration crime, fraud, money laund-ering and others, as well as to provide specialist support to police forces and others. It will make the U.K. a hostile environment for organised crime by:
* Greatly enhancing the intelligence picture, so it knows where, when and how to strike to best effect;
* Attacking criminal assets
* Pursuing key criminals and groups so that they can be subjected to criminal prosecution and other measures.
