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Trends Organ Crim (2012) 15:313330
DOI 10.1007/s12117-012-9154-4
Peter A. Sproat
Published online: 3 May 2012# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012
Abstract The article attempts to assess the UKs efforts to combat organised crime. It does this by revealing some qualitative and quantitative descriptions of organised crime provided by the authorities before describing the tools used to combat the problem and the politicians justification of them. It then contrasts the details of the official discourse with data on the use of these policing tools by the organisation tasked to deal with organised crime in the UK the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
Keywords Organisedcrime . Response to organisedcrime . UnitedKingdom . Serious Organised Crime Agency . SOCA . Disruption
We have an excellent record of achievement against organised crime.
Alan Johnson, Home Secretary in 20091
The aim of this article is to assess the UKs efforts to combat organised crime in light of official pronouncements on the nature and extent of this threat. It does this by revealing some qualitative and quantitative descriptions of organised crime provided by the authorities, before describing the tools used to combat the problem and the politicians justification of them. It then contrasts the details of the official discourse with data on the use of these policing tools by the organisation which: brought together the main national agencies for tackling organised crime into a single unit on 1st April 2006 the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).2 In creating the SOCA the then Labour government incorporated staff from the existing organisations
1Cabinet Office Strategy Unit and Home Office. Extending Our Reach: A Comprehensive Approach to Tackling Serious Organised Crime (July 2009) pii.
2Vernon Coaker, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office, House of Commons Debates. Hansard website http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmhansrd.htm
Web End =http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmhansrd.htm (accessed 04/03/08, c2302W).
P. A. Sproat (*)
University of the West of Scotland, Hamilton, UK e-mail: [email protected]
Phoney war or appeasement? The policing of organised crime in the UK
314 Trends Organ Crim (2012) 15:313330
tasked with combating and gathering intelligence on organised crime - the National Crime Squad (NCS) and the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and from those parts of the UK Immigration Service and Her Majestys Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which had dealt with organised immigration crime and drug trafficking respectively....