Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) - Background, Intelligence role and secrecy, Money laundering

Britain's first non-police law-enforcement agency, launched in 2006. It is an amalgamation of the National Crime Squad, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, and investigators from Customs and the Home Office's Immigration Service. With a staff of more than 4000, the agency's role is to target the international gangs behind such crimes as people trafficking, drug smuggling, fraud, and global paedophile networks.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Serious Organised Crime Agency area
Coverage
Area	Nationwide
Size	N/A
Population	N/A
Operations
Formed	2006
HQ	London
Officers
Divisions
Stations
Director-General	Bill Hughes
Website	SOCA Website

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) is a policing agency in the United Kingdom that acts against organised crime, including the illegal drugs trade, money laundering, and people smuggling.

Background

SOCA formally came into being on 1 April 2006 following a merger of the National Crime Squad, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the investigative and intelligence sections of HM Customs and Excise on serious drug trafficking, and the Immigration Service's responsibilities for organised immigration crime.

The creation of the agency was announced on 9 February 2004 as one of the elements of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, which also restricts protests and demonstrations in central London, and widens powers of arrest and the use of search warrants.

Parallels have been drawn between the organisation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States: indeed, parts of the press have labelled SOCA as the "British FBI". Police forces will continue to deal with most crime whilst SOCA will assist forces and also work independently with regards to serious organised crime.

Former National Crime Squad detective Peter Blekesley said SOCA "needs to be elite.

According to Home Office figures Organised Crime costs the UK around £20 Billion each year, with some estimates putting the figure as high as £40 Billion.

The board has decided that around 40% of its effort should be devoted to combating drug trafficking, 25% to tackling organised immigration crime, around 10% to fraud, 15% on other organised crime and the remaining 10% on supporting other law enforcement agencies.

Intelligence role and secrecy

SOCA operates from at least 40 offices across the UK. SOCA officers are empowered to perform a number of surveillance roles traditionally associated with British intelligence services such as MI5, although, unlike MI5 officers, some designated SOCA officers enjoy powers of arrest. SOCA's officers are not required to take the traditional Police Oath and SOCA is exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

Money laundering

SOCA takes over responsibility for dealing with suspicious activity reports (SARs), previously made to NCIS under the money laundering legislation.