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Call for a national crime squad (1)

01 January 1991

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Call for a national crime squad
artdoc July=1994

The national coordinator of the police regional crime squads,
Neil Dickens, has called for the creation of a national crime
squad. In a speech to the spring conference of the Association
of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) he said that the six regional
crime squads in England and Wales and the Scottish Crime Squad
should be amalgamated into a `single corporate body, a National
Crime Squad'. This squad would be accountable to a committee of
Chief Constables for operational activities and a standing
committee consisting of Home Office and local authority
representatives for finance and `public accountability'. England,
Wales and Scotland would be divided into six regions each with
a director - the same structure at the National Criminal
Intelligence System (NCIS). The regional director would manage
the operational work of the existing crime squads and the
existing NCIS regional intelligence offices. Ultimately the NCIS
and this new National Crime Squad would merge into one national
body undertaking intelligence and operations.
Mr Dickens argues that `major criminal know no boundaries' and
that `there is no such thing as a regional criminal'. Moreover,
he says, the `international element of crime has increased
considerably in recent years'. More and more regional crime squad
officers are being sent abroad: `The range of reasons include
routine investigation, interviewing prisoners, handling
informants, undercover deployment or surveillance on controlled
deliveries'.
Mr Taylor, chair of ACPO's Crime Committee, told the Home
Affairs Select Committee in April that the NCIS should be able
to undertake a more proactive intelligence-gathering role by
carrying out `mobile surveillance of suspects', although this
might involve them in making arrests which they are currently
barred from doing.
Police Review, 18.3.94 & 8.4.94.

Statewatch, vol 4 no 3, May-June 1994

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