The Crime and Courts Bill 2012/2013 is currently navigating its
way through Parliament having been introduced in the last
Queen's Speech. This is an important piece of legislation for a
counter fraud practitioner as it will see the establishment of the
National Crime Agency.
The National Crime Agency will be divided into four operational
commands dealing with organised crime, economic crime, border
policing and child exploitation. It will also house an
'intelligence hub' that will gather, store, process and
analyse operational intelligence.
According to the Home Office, organised crime is estimated to
cost the UK economy in region of £20 billion to £40
billion a year. It is estimated that about 30,000 criminals across
over 7,000 groups are involved in organised crime that impacts on
the UK.