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UK: New Police Bill

01 September 1996

The government announced in the Queen's Speech on 24 October that their legislative programme up to the General Election will include a Police Bill but not the introduction of voluntary identity cards. The Police Bill will a) create a new operational National Crime Squad (NCS) comprised of the six existing Regional Crime Squads (RCSs). It is expected to have about 1,000 police officers and an annual budget of ?90 million. b) put the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) on a statutory basis for the first time since its creation in 1992. c) the police will be given similar powers to "bug and burgle" as MI5 (see above). This will give a legal basis to the long standing police practice of conducting surveillance on the authority of a Chief Constable. A new "independent" Commissioner to oversee these powers will be created. d) create a Criminal Records Agency which all employers will have access to in order to find out the criminal record of a job applicant. An offence for which a prison sentence of 2? years or more is given is never removed from criminal records. Under these proposals there would be three kinds of checks: where the job applicant pays ?20 to get a criminal conviction certificate, or whether the employer asks for a "full check", and an enhanced check for employers for certain categories of work like people working with children. Civil liberties and penal reform groups strongly oppose the plans as it would make it more difficult for ex-offenders to get jobs. Mr Howard the Home Secretary told the annual meeting of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) that the new NCS and the NCIS will not develop into an "FBI". He told the conference that: "There will be no "federal crimes" over which the new organisations will have exclusive jurisdiction." The cost of running the two new national squads is to be paid for by a "levy" on local police authorities. Government plans to introduce "voluntary" identity cards have been postponed because of divisions among Conservative MPs over the issue. The Home Office said it would produce a draft Bill but it is not expected to go through before the General Election. Policing Today, September 1996; Times, 24.10.96; Guardian, 14.10.96; see also Statewatch vol 6 no 2 & 3.