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Policing changes could damage fight against crime

26 July 2010

Responding to today's announcement on changes to policing bodies, PCS negotiations officer Jeremy Gautrey said:

"The decision to scrap the National Policing Improvement Agency and incorporate the work of the Serious Organised Crime Agency and Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre into a National Crime Agency was taken without any consultation with those working within these organisations, and staff now face an uncertain future.

"Our request to be consulted on proposed changes was refused. We also believe that senior management have been kept in the dark. This is totally unacceptable.

"Since being set up in 2006, SOCA has been highly successful in the disruption of organised criminal activity in the UK and overseas.

"The announcement raises many questions about how serious organised crime will be tackled, and the danger is that the only winners will be criminals, as officers’ attention is diverted and staff morale drops.

"Similarly, the NPIA has led the way on improving and developing better policing. Abolishing it is a shortsighted, politically-motivated decision, taken with little consideration for the effects on policing.

"The NPIA undertakes important work for the police that will need to continue, including maintaining the national fingerprint database, the DNA database and the police national computer database.

"We fear scrapping it will just increase pressure on police forces around the country at a time when their budgets are being cut and police numbers will be reduced.

"We have asked for urgent talks to discuss these proposals and for the government to act quickly to allay the fears of staff."

 

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