LEADING THE UK’S FIGHT TO CUT SERIOUS AND ORGANISED CRIME

ANNUAL PLAN 2019-20 CONTENTS

3 Foreword by the Home Secretary 4 Statement by the Director General 5 Serious and Organised Crime Threats to the UK 6 Vulnerabilities threats 7 Prosperity threats 8 Commodities threats 9 Home Secretary’s Strategic Priorities 10 Director General’s Operational Priorities 11 Driving a whole system response – our focus for 2019-20 12 Operational Priority 1 13-14 Operational Priorities 2 and 3 15 National Economic Crime Centre 16 Operational Priority 4 17 Operational Priority 5 18 Scotland and Northern Ireland 19 Partnership 20 Performance 21 Resources 22 Statutory basis

2 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 FOREWORD BY THE HOME SECRETARY

These criminals do not discriminate our response is suited to the new and The NCA is at the heart of delivering this against whom they harm. They target us emerging challenges. Our new strategy, and will increasingly focus its effort on all, from cyber-attacks on businesses to published in November 2018, sets out higher priority and more complex threats, the exploitation of the most vulnerable how we will mobilise the full force of the targeting and coordinating disruptive in society, including children. Their state and align our collective efforts to activity so that we have the greatest activities erode our communities and our target and disrupt serious and organised impact on the most serious criminals and economy, costing the UK at least £37 crime, through a focus on: groups impacting on the UK. Ministers billion every year and allowing criminals have agreed an additional £48m should • A strengthened response to to reap the benefits of their crimes, while be invested in improving capabilities to economic crime and illicit finance we, and particularly their victims, suffer tackle the threat from illicit finance through the new multi-agency the consequences. in 2019/20. National Economic Crime Centre Serious and organised crime I am determined to prevent serious and and reform of the Suspicious Activity This investment is in addition to the organised crime, defend against it, track Reports regime. £21 million over the next 18 months to affects more UK citizens, more down perpetrators and bring them to strengthen law enforcement response to • An enhanced data and justice. We will allow no safe space – child sexual abuse and exploitation. often, than any other national intelligence-led approach, with the online or offline – for these people and creation of a National Assessments The NCA continues to go from strength their networks. security threat and leads to Centre and National Data to strength and has achieved some more deaths in the UK each Since the 2013 strategy was published, Exploitation Capability. excellent operational results since its we have made substantial progress, with inception. In preparing to leave the • Enhanced community resilience and year than all other national new powers, legislation and partnerships European Union, the NCA has shown early intervention, with investment leading to significant increases in great resilience, by continuing work to security threats combined. in community coordinators to help convictions, seizures and number of strengthen our strategic engagement in build community resilience against children safeguarded. Law enforcement, Europe with EU partners. Leading and serious and organised crime and and the National Crime Agency (NCA) delivering this new strategy alongside deliver local interventions. in particular have been instrumental in preparing to leave the European Union, this progress, with an impressive and • The development of a single, will no doubt be a challenge that the sustained track record of disruption whole-system approach, with NCA is ready and capable to step up to against the full range of serious and improved governance and and deliver. organised crime threats. coordination, a new national tasking framework; and enhanced But the threat is evolving, both in scale Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP international response. and complexity, and we must ensure

3 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 STATEMENT BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL

The National Crime Agency’s mission to lead the UK’s fight to cut serious and organised crime is critical to our national security. As highlighted by the Home Secretary, our officers, and the partners we work with, continue to deliver outstanding operational results ensuring the public are protected.

This Annual Plan sets out how we will • Enhance our capabilities, human and about transformational investment that is develop the Agency and lead the whole technological, to reduce the threat needed to enhance our ability to tackle system, harnessing the collective powers from SOC, enabling their availability SOC in all its forms. of law enforcement, government, the where and when needed for the We have an ambitious and transformative voluntary sector and industry to deliver benefit of all UK law enforcement. change programme for the Agency which the coordinated response we need to A sustained funding model for the will ensure that we have the right people, protect our communities and counter system as a whole is essential if we are to resources, equipment and skills to focus the escalating and rapidly evolving keep pace with the fast evolving nature on tackling the most sophisticated threat from Serious and Organised of serious and organised crime, the offenders who cause the highest harm. Crime (SOC). scale and complexity highlighted by the I am proud to lead a growing In particular this year we will: Government’s 2018 SOC Strategy. The organisation that values its people as Government’s investment in our capacity its strongest asset. We will continue to • Continue our work on developing to tackle illicit finance for 2019/20 is invest in our people to enable them the intelligence picture of SOC welcome but only a start. Our Capability to deliver to the highest standards to including identifying emerging Strategy work is aimed at identifying protect the public. trends and threats; the gaps to ensure we develop a whole • Advance our relentless disruption system response to SOC and we know Lynne Owens against the highest harm serious and from the work undertaken to date organised criminals including through significant further investment will be disruption of their illicit finances; required to ensure we can deliver on our combined ambition. The 2019 Spending • Lead, task, coordinate and Review provides us ­— the NCA and support our operational activity our partners — with a vital opportunity at local, regional, national and to continue to persuade Government international levels;

4 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 SERIOUS AND ORGANISED CRIME THREATS TO THE UK

Serious and organised crime affects more UK citizens than any other national security threat and leads to more deaths in the UK each year than all other national security threats combined.

In this section, we set out some of determined that based on the assessment • Exploit the vulnerable through the key judgements in the National of the threats in the NSA there should child sexual abuse and exploitation, Strategic Assessment (NSA) of Serious be a more holistic approach to setting trafficking, servitude, fraud and and Organised Crime in relation to the national priorities for 2019-20. other forms of abuse. specific threats. We have also included some recent case studies to illustrate The NSTCG agreed that the focus • Dominate communities and chase the scale and nature of the high harm should be on the identification and profits in the criminal market place, offending where we are focusing disruption of high harm or high impact through criminal reputation and/or our efforts. criminals and organised crime groups: the use of violence in the supply of diminishing their capability, infrastructure drugs and firearms. The National Strategic Tasking and and influence. In particular, those who: Coordination Group (NSTCG) • Undermine the UK’s economy, integrity, infrastructure and institutions through their criminality. The NSA structures serious and A key member of one of Britain’s worst ever paedophile gangs, organised crime threats into three areas – which groomed a pregnant mother so they could attack her Vulnerabilities, Prosperity and Commodities. baby and film their abuse, was sentenced in December 2018 to 20 years’ imprisonment.

5 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 VULNERABILITIES THREATS

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AND MODERN SLAVERY AND HUMAN ORGANISED IMMIGRATION CRIME EXPLOITATION (CSAE) TRAFFICKING (MSHT) (OIC) • The threat remains constant – we • In 2018 there were 6,993 referrals of • Organised crime groups (OCGs) • People smugglers evade detection estimate that around 80,000 people potential victims of human trafficking are involved at all stages of the at the border including by placing in the UK present some kind of sexual to the National Referral Mechanism – journey from migrants’ source migrants in shipping containers and threat to children online. this represents a 36% increase on the countries to the UK. However, with refrigerated HGVs. 2017 total. the deployment of tighter border • In 2017, industry made 82,109 • The spike from October 2018 in illicit controls and fences in the Balkans UK referrals of child sexual abuse • UK nationals were the highest entry via small, often overcrowded and within the EU, increasing material. In 2018 this increased referred nationality for the second boats crossing from northern Europe numbers of irregular migrants to 114,000. year in a row, the majority of whom into the south east of England is are seeking the assistance of were minors at the time of referral. likely to continue at least through the • Whilst the primary motivation people smugglers. summer months of 2019. for CSAE is thought to be sexual • The number of minors referred • Most people smuggling crime groups gratification, there have been increased by 48% compared • The supply and production of false comprise loosely affiliated networks instances over the past year of with 2017. documents are widespread and of independent facilitators of individuals seeking to profit financially provide lucrative revenue streams • The majority of recruitment still takes differing nationalities, but some are from CSAE. for crime groups, as well as enabling place face to face, although offenders coordinated and relatively large. other abuse such as air facilitation. increasingly use online deception to attract or contact potential victims. • Offenders target a wide range of vulnerabilities to recruit adults and children into exploitation.

A British nurse who headed up a criminal network that subjected vulnerable Nigerian women to voodoo rituals before trafficking them from Nigeria to Germany and forcing them into sex work was convicted of sex trafficking offences and imprisoned in June 2018 for 14 years - increased to 18 years by the Court of Appeal.

6 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 PROSPERITY THREATS

CYBER CRIME MONEY LAUNDERING FRAUD AND OTHER ECONOMIC INTERNATIONAL BRIBERY, • Russian-language OCGs represent • Some OCGs are using more complex CRIME CORRUPTION AND SANCTIONS the biggest cyber crime threat to methods to launder money, hamper • Illicit finance is estimated to cost the EVASION the UK. law enforcement detection and UK economy at least £160 billion reduce transparency. • UK businesses operating in • Malware crossovers appear to annually. jurisdictions with poor anti- indicate that cyber criminals • Cash and non-cash based • There were 3.3 million fraud incidents corruption controls are at risk from different OCGs are working money laundering methods are reported in England and Wales in of being corrupted, or actively more closely together than intrinsically linked. the year to June 2018 and a 32% corrupting in order to retain previously thought. • Cash generated by criminal activity is increase in the financial loss reported business advantage. Such instances • The tools and techniques used by moved overseas or paid into the UK between April and September 2018 negatively impact on the UK’s the most competent OCGs can be banking sector from where various compared with the previous year. international business reputation. as sophisticated as those used by methods are used to transfer and • It is estimated that 84% of fraud • During 2017/18, 122 reports of nation-state actors. distance it from its origins. reported nationally is cyber-enabled suspected financial sanctions - the use of cyber tools allows breaches had a value of £1.35 billion. criminals to target the UK from • Sanctions contravention directly almost anywhere in the world. undermines the integrity of the UK as a financial centre and the UK’s response to terrorism and human rights abuses.

A Cambridge Don who conned the government out of £2.3 million in a green-energy swindle was sentenced to four years in prison. He was caught with £100,000 in cash hidden in a chocolate box as he boarded a flight to Tehran from Heathrow airport.

7 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 COMMODITIES THREATS

FIREARMS DRUGS COUNTY LINES1 • The majority of firearms discharged • There continues to be a high level • It is estimated that there are in in the UK have not been used of production of both heroin and excess of 2,000 unique deal lines in previously, indicating a fluid supply. cocaine in source countries. the UK. • Firearms continue to be seized • Purity of heroin and cocaine at UK • County lines offenders remain on importation, highlighting street level is high and there is a highly adaptable, including in the the sustained threat from resilient demand market for these recruitment and exploitation of overseas supply. drugs in the UK. vulnerable people. • Significant seizures of cocaine • The majority of victims referred continue to be made at the UK tend to be males in the age range border and in transit to the UK. 15-17 years, but it is likely there is underreporting in relation to • Illicit drug supply has been identified exploited vulnerable adults. as one of the factors linked to levels of serious violence, particularly in • Knife crime is a significant feature relation to competition for the control of these markets. Many county line of drug supply markets. market towns report an increase in violent and weapons based crime.

In a case described by the trial judge as “a shocking breach of trust”, a corrupt UK border official received 23 years’ imprisonment in 2018 after plotting to smuggle ten handguns, ammunition, heroin and cocaine into the UK.

1 County Lines is a term used when drug gangs from cities expand their operations to smaller towns, often using violence to drive out local dealers and exploiting children and vulnerable people to sell drugs. 8 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 HOME SECRETARY’S STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

The aim of the Government’s Serious and Organised Crime Strategy (published November 2018) is to protect the citizens and prosperity of the UK by leaving no safe space for serious and organised criminals to operate against us, within the UK and overseas, online and offline. This has been supplemented by the Government’s Serious Violence Strategy, which highlights the strong link between drugs and serious violence. In support of those aims, the Home Secretary has set the following Strategic Priorities for the National Crime Agency (NCA):

• The principal objective of the NCA • The NCA will produce and maintain Community (UKIC), police forces workforce must be equipped with should be relentless disruption and the national threat picture for serious across the UK, international police the skills and tools to address the targeted action against the highest and organised crime affecting the forces and other law enforcement current and continuously evolving harm serious and organised criminals UK and its interests, providing partners. The NCA should also nature of the threat. and networks, including through the assessment and reporting of work closely with the Devolved • The NCA should continue to disruption of profits in the criminal intelligence at both strategic and Administrations, Local Government increase its capacity and capability market place. tactical levels. The NCA should and the private and voluntary sectors. to tackle illicit finance, which is a work to improve the intelligence The NCA will also contribute to • Serious and organised criminals prey key driver of, and common feature picture, including on emerging improving our overall understanding on and exploit the most vulnerable across, the majority of serious and trends and threats. of where SOC capabilities are held in our society through CSAE, organised crime. and where they are most in need trafficking, servitude, fraud and • In support of the Serious and of development. other forms of abuse. In the course Organised Crime (SOC) strategy of its investigations, the NCA must objective to establish a single, • The NCA must enhance its human safeguard vulnerable individuals and whole-system approach to SOC, and technical capabilities, in order individual and community victims the NCA will lead, support and to more effectively and efficiently of serious and organised crime, co-ordinate operational activity reduce the threat from serious and work with partners to ensure across law enforcement, locally, and organised crime. New data, that victims receive the most regionally, nationally and intelligence and assessment appropriate care. internationally. It will work in close capabilities should be placed at the collaboration with the UK Intelligence heart of its response. The NCA’s

9 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 DIRECTOR GENERAL’S OPERATIONAL PRIORITIES

The Director General sets operational priorities for the Agency, which set out how the Agency will discharge its mission to lead the fight to cut serious and organised crime. These are as follows:

• To enhance the intelligence picture • To develop and deliver specialist of existing and emerging serious and serious and organised crime organised crime threats to the UK, capabilities and services where this using the intelligence to drive, lead is best done nationally; enabling and support the UK’s response to their availability where and when serious and organised crime. needed for the benefit of all UK law enforcement. • To operate proactively at the high end of high risk, undertaking • To enhance Agency capability and significant investigations resulting in credibility by ensuring that we equip offenders being brought to justice our officers with the right skills, through prosecution or, if that is facilities and technology to lead the not possible, disrupted through fight to cut serious and organised other means. crime; and that we retain the trust and confidence of the public. • To lead, task, coordinate and support operational activity, proactively sharing intelligence, We explain on the following pages assets and capabilities with partners some of our activity in 2019/20 to at local, regional, national and deliver against these operational international levels. priorities.

10 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 DRIVING A WHOLE SYSTEM RESPONSE – OUR FOCUS FOR 2019-20

In this section, we have set out the principal themes for delivery this year.

• We will use the 2018 Serious and • We will position ourselves to • We will deliver our People Strategy Organised Crime (SOC) Strategy enter the next spending round, by and People Deal, investing in our and our national Capability Strategy contributing to the Home Office- people; recruiting new officers to work to align UK collective efforts led development and delivery with build capacity and capability; putting at local, regional, national and partners of a fully justified and inclusion, diversity and equality international levels, to respond as evidenced submission to the 2019 at the heart of everything we do; a single system. We will deliver a Spending Review, ensuring that improving our recruitment and layered capability, that identifies we are able to gain sustained future promotion processes and career and maximises opportunities at all funding and whole system reform development pathways, developing levels to tackle SOC to protect to tackling SOC and protecting the a talent strategy to ensure that we the public. public from its effects. continue to enhance and nurture the skills we need to fight SOC. • One of our principal ambitions is • We will implement a consistent to deliver a significant uplift in our approach to Threat Leadership • By reviewing and redesigning ability to tackle illicit finance and within the Agency and across the our Performance Systems and other forms of SOC through the wider SOC system. This will enhance Processes and establishing National Economic Crime Centre our capacity to lead the national Strategic Planning Assumptions (NECC), the National Assessments response to each SOC threat. Our for the Agency, we will better Centre (NAC) and the establishment focus will be on strategically shaping, understand our operating capability of the National Data Exploitation influencing and leveraging partners and impact, how we are delivering Capability (NDEC). We will access across the UK to ensure the most our national leadership and the full range of capabilities available effective response. statutory responsibilities, and our to ensure the right tools are used by organisational health. • By investing in new and emerging the right agencies at the right time. cutting-edge technologies and capabilities and a ‘digital by default’ position, we will ensure we have the right tools to effectively fight serious and organised criminals in a technically advancing world.

11 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 OPERATIONAL PRIORITY 1

To enhance the intelligence picture of existing and emerging serious and organised crime threats to the UK, using the intelligence to drive, lead and support the UK’s response to serious and organised crime. In 2019/20 we will continue to focus our efforts on the quality and quantity of intelligence we collect, ensuring a two-way flow between us and our partners, using it to drive operational activity. In particular we will:

• Generate and articulate the national • Analyse, assess, prioritise and exploit In order to enhance our capacity to authoritative assessment of the intelligence from multiple sources collect and exploit data we will also: serious and organised crime threats, and through the National Targeting • Place the NCA at the forefront through the National Assessments Centre, to drive better target of data exploitation through the Centre, informing decisions identification and opportunities development, in consultation with by Government, domestic and for disruption. other UK agencies, of the National international partners. • Lead the development of a national Data Exploitation Capability. • Design and implement a new NCA tasking system that mobilises • Develop the design and delivery Intelligence Operating Model to operational capabilities at a local, of integrated communications ensure that operational and strategic regional and national level. This intelligence capabilities, along decision making is driven through will result in operations delivering with UK and international law the most complete and timely results at pace and ensure a coherent enforcement partners, to close assessment of intelligence possible. national approach to the most intelligence collection gaps pressing SOC threats impacting upon • Increase the quantity and quality against the most significant and our communities. of intelligence available to exploit sophisticated offenders. through the development of new and • Deliver an enhanced Control • Create an NCA Gateway as a single enhanced collection capabilities. Centre function which will bring entry point for all information and together live-time intelligence and • Maximise the delivery of our intelligence, providing a receipt, data to support the management international activity as a recognised triage and assessment service to of operations against the most national capability, which internal and external customers with high harm individuals and groups supports wider UK security and law the authority to de-conflict, enhance engaged in SOC. enforcement objectives, including and disseminate for tasking of through making the best use of • Drive the delivery of strategic intelligence development. external funding. intelligence requirements in particular in relation to the firearms threat.

12 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 OPERATIONAL PRIORITIES 2 AND 3

To operate proactively at the high end of high risk, undertaking significant investigations resulting in offenders being brought to justice through prosecution or, if that is not possible, disrupted other means. To lead, task, coordinate and support operational activity, proactively sharing intelligence, assets and capabilities with partners at local, regional, national and international levels.

In 2019/20 we will maintain our pursuit violence to enforce market share, to understanding of the scale and with non-law enforcement of those who cause the most harm to the exploit the vulnerable and to protect nature of the threat; driving up our organisations in order to enhance the public and increase our ability to respond illicit finance. operational response; targeting wider national response. to the high priority threats. In particular offender behaviour and identifying • Continue to work closely with Counter • Work in close partnership with the we will: pathways to offending. Terrorism Policing to develop shared Crown Prosecution Service and other • Proactively target and dismantle the specialist capabilities. We will focus • Drive the cross-cutting county lines prosecuting authorities to develop highest harm serious and organised operational activity on areas where response under the Serious Violence the highest quality prosecution crime networks and pursue the most there is overlap between the threats, Strategy, ensuring this is prioritised at cases; making innovative use of new sophisticated, determined and prolific such as the availability of firearms and force level, identifying and targeting legislation and available powers individuals affecting the UK. illicit finance. criminal networks who run county lines to restrict offending and to deny through the exploitation of vulnerable access to criminally gained assets. • Pilot the design of new Integrated • Work with our industry partners to children and adults. We will make greater use of new Operations Teams (IOT) to better target preventable offending by and established Lifetime Offender integrate the skills of investigators, those who present a risk to children • Through the jointly-led National Management judicial orders to intelligence professionals and and vulnerable adults online: County Lines Coordination prevent further offending. specialist capabilities to deliver across including through making the case for Centre, improve the understanding operational teams. IOTs will operate at investment in technology capable of of the threat from county lines • Increase our impact on serious and pace; delivering outcomes that both preventing known child sexual abuse nationally; prioritise and co- organised crime affecting both bring offenders to justice and prevent and exploitation (CSAE) images from ordinate action against the most Scotland and Northern Ireland further harm to communities. being uploaded and downloaded; and significant perpetrators; support the including through the Organised by raising standards on adult services’ safeguarding of vulnerable children Crime Partnership and the Paramilitary • Work tirelessly to dismantle the websites to stop victims of sex and adults exploited by county lines Crime Task Force respectively. criminal markets that drive serious trafficking being advertised online. offenders; deploy capabilities to assist violence in our communities. We will front line officers dealing with county do this by focusing operational activity • Significantly increase our response lines crime; and develop partnerships on SOC offending that relies upon to CSAE by building on our current

13 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 OPERATIONAL PRIORITIES 2 AND 3

In order to enhance our national a result of major changes at the UK leadership role, ensure the right response border, following the UK’s departure by the right agency at local, regional, from the European Union. national and international levels, and • Lead the UK response to effectively align our collective efforts to respond as a tackle the organised immigration single system, we will: crime (OIC) and modern slavery and • Establish a consistent threat human trafficking (MSHT) threats, leadership approach across the focusing on attacking the criminals’ Agency and the wider system; by business model, targeting key shaping, influencing and leveraging enablers such as illicit finance and partners’ responses across the UK. social media, and working with law enforcement and industry partners • Develop new relationships with in the UK and internationally, taking private sector border agencies - a ‘4Ps2’ approach to reducing the carriers, freight, port authorities - to enabling environment that allows develop intelligence opportunities to criminals to thrive. ‘design out’ vulnerabilities exploited by organised crime groups involved • Grow and embed a single UK in serious and organised crime at response to cyber crime at local, the border, providing investigative regional and national levels. benefits to law enforcement. • Deliver, with law enforcement • Be agile and responsive in exploiting partners and the National Cyber current, and developing new, Security Centre, a comprehensive, opportunities to tackle and mitigate joined up UK response to critical serious and organised crime threats as cyber incidents.

2 Pursue, Prevent, Protect, Prepare

14 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 NATIONAL ECONOMIC CRIME CENTRE

Established in October 2018, the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) brings together law enforcement agencies, government departments, regulatory bodies and the private sector with a shared objective of driving down serious organised economic crime in the UK.

In 2019/20, the NECC will: • Seek to maximise new powers, for example Unexplained Wealth Orders • Deliver a step change in the and Account Freezing Orders, across UK’s response to, and impact on, all agencies to tackle illicit finance economic crime, working together to across all threat types. protect the public, prosperity and the UK’s reputation. • Ensure that criminals defrauding British citizens, attacking UK industry • Work on new and innovative and abusing UK financial services are methods to tackle economic effectively pursued; that the UK’s crime; not just by responding to industries and government agencies criminal attacks on the system but know how to prevent economic understanding how the public and crime; and that the UK’s citizens are businesses can be better protected better protected. and crime better prevented. • Ensure that ‘professional enablers’ • Jointly identify and prioritise are actively identified and pursued, the most appropriate type of reducing the ability of criminals to investigations – whether criminal, abuse and exploit the UK financial civil or regulatory to ensure system and related sector. maximum impact.

15 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 OPERATIONAL PRIORITY 4

To develop and deliver specialist serious and organised crime capabilities and services where this is best done nationally; enabling their availability where and when needed for the benefit of all UK law enforcement.

In 2019/20 we will continue to: We will also: • Enhance the UK response to illicit • Lead the development, with the • Focus on measuring how we are finance, including economic crime Home Office, policing and partners performing as an Agency, including and wealth linked to corrupt elites, - of the Serious and Organised our visibility and public and partner through the NECC, and by leading Crime Capability Strategy – a key confidence in and knowledge of - across the whole SOC system - an enabler to deliver the Government’s the Agency; the delivery of our uplift in investigative capability. commitment to a whole system national leadership and statutory response to SOC. responsibilities; and the impact • Build and maintain specialist we have - and which we enable capabilities and functions, such as • Deliver, with partners through our others to have - on serious and the UK Protected Persons Service, Joint Operations Team, a significant organised crime. for the whole of UK law enforcement, uplift in our response to the highest where these are best delivered harm offenders who present the nationally; and maximise the benefit greatest sexual risk to children, in of transferring non-core functions particular those who operate through - such as the management of the the Dark Web. National Referral Mechanism - • Respond to the Financial Action Task to others. Force inspection recommendations • Improve governance, tasking and and support the Home Office coordination to ensure our response suspicious activity reports programme brings all our levers and tools to by leading the development of bear effectively against the highest- the user requirement and as the harm SOC criminals and networks senior supplier. as required in the 2018 Serious and Organised Crime Strategy.

16 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 OPERATIONAL PRIORITY 5

To enhance Agency capability and credibility by ensuring that we equip our officers with the right skills, facilities and technology to lead the fight to cut serious and organised crime; and that we retain the trust and confidence of the public. In 2019/20 we will continue to focus our efforts on the quality and quantity of intelligence we collect, using it to drive our operational activity. In particular we will:

• Put inclusion, diversity and equality national programmes; provide a step at the very heart of all that we do so change in capabilities; increase our that we can make better, informed cyber security effectiveness; and decisions, challenge unconscious reduce cost. and conscious bias, and provide • Continue to reduce our estate environments where our officers can footprint - consolidating our be authentic. capabilities in fewer, larger sites; • Invest in our people by recruiting drawing together our niche and the best, providing our staff with the specialist capabilities in a fixed learning, development and career number of locations; establishing key pathways they need and building hubs nationally; and providing sites pride in what it means to be an and facilities that enable effective, NCA officer. resilient and flexible ways of working. • Deliver further non-pay affordability • Deliver increasingly focused measures and efficiencies to free up and targeted proactive funding and resource and continue to communications, including through reallocate establishment to highest bespoke campaigns to raise public priority activity. awareness of serious and organised crime and enhance public trust and • Maximise the effect and benefit of confidence in the Agency. our technology – enable operational effectiveness by investing in modern • Enhance scrutiny of the ethical, technical capabilities which: remove moral and public confidence aspects technology obsolescence; capitalise of our activity through regular on commercial products; support consideration of specific issues by mobile working; leverage off our Independent Reference Group.

17 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND

Policing and criminal justice are devolved matters in Scotland and Northern Ireland. NORTHERN IRELAND As a UK-wide organisation, we ensure that our activity within those jurisdictions takes full account of their specific and differing legislative, operational and political • The delivery of the NCA’s functions • As an agency, we respect the requirements. We respect the primacy of their respective police forces, while in Northern Ireland is governed by importance of community oversight maximising our ability to operate with them and others to tackle serious and memoranda of understanding with and monitoring in Northern organised crime as it impacts in those jurisdictions as on the UK as a whole. Our the Northern Ireland Policing Board Ireland and will ensure that all our activity will reflect the specific challenges that they each face and our determination (NIPB) and the Police Service of activities take full account of the to tackle them in collaboration with our partners. We will maintain a positive working Northern Ireland (PSNI). A general operating environment and specific relationship and communication with the Scottish Government, the Department of authorisation agreement with the accountability arrangements that Justice in Northern Ireland, and other parties in the Devolved Administrations. Department of Justice is also in apply. We have strict internal place. As in Scotland, the Director requirements regarding the General will designate appropriately understanding of, and adherence, to SCOTLAND trained and qualified NCA officers the PSNI Code of Ethics. Any NCA with the powers of a Northern officer carrying out any function in • The delivery of the NCA’s functions Partnership (OCP), which was formed Ireland constable. Northern Ireland must undertake in Scotland is governed by in September 2018. We will work • We will continue our full engagement training on the Code of Ethics and memoranda of understanding with to make the OCP greater than the with the Organised Crime Task pass the assessment. Scottish Ministers and with the Lord sum of its parts, bringing to bear Force Stakeholder Group, Strategy Advocate’s Office. The Director • In setting out how we will exercise the weight of joint law enforcement Group and subgroups. We will General designates appropriately our functions in Northern Ireland activity on serious and organised contribute to the Northern Ireland trained and qualified NCA officers for the year ahead, we will have crime as it impacts on Scotland and Organised Crime Strategy and work with the powers of a Scottish regard to the Annual Northern its communities. in partnership with the PSNI and constable. We are able to conduct Ireland Policing Plan, consulting, as other law enforcement agencies our own operations in Scotland with • We will work with partners across all necessary, with the Chief Constable towards achieving these objectives, the consent of the Lord Advocate. sectors in Scotland, contributing to PSNI, to support PSNI’s reporting recognising the specific legislation In addition, the full range of our the objectives of Scotland’s Serious and accountability responsibilities. and regulations in place. The Director national capabilities, services and Organised Crime Strategy. We will The Director General of the NCA General (Operations) will continue functions is available to Police actively and positively contribute values the opportunity, and will seek to operate as the strategic lead Scotland and other Scottish law to the work of the Scottish Serious to attend both public and private between the NCA and stakeholders enforcement partners, in order Organised Crime Taskforce and the meetings of the NIPB on a biannual across Northern Ireland. to support and enhance their production of the Scottish Multi- basis. In the exceptional event that operational activity. Agency Strategic Threat Assessment. • We will continue our role in the her attendance is not possible, a The Director General (Operations) Paramilitary Crime Taskforce, suitable senior representative will • We will continue our collaboration will continue to operate as the launched in September 2017, attend in her place. with Police Scotland, in particular strategic lead between the NCA and which has already had an impact through the Organised Crime stakeholders across Scotland. on the criminality linked to paramilitary groups.

18 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 PARTNERSHIP

Tackling the breadth of serious and organised crime is beyond the capacity and capabilities of any one body. We know that agencies cannot act in isolation to protect the public, and nor can any one agency hold all the tools required. At a time when there are limited resources and competing demands on law enforcement, a collaborative whole-system approach with partners across law enforcement, the public, private and third sectors in the UK and internationally - with clearly defined roles and responsibilities - is the only way we can maximise our impact on serious and organised crime. Our partners include, but are not limited to: EXIT FROM THE EU

• law enforcement and criminal justice • overseas law enforcement agencies The uncertainty and significant impact bodies - including UK police forces, and organisations such as Europol that the UK’s departure from the EU will HMRC, Border Force, Immigration and Interpol; have on the Agency and our relationship Enforcement, the Crown Prosecution with European police partners have • the private and third sectors – Service, the Crown Office and meant that we have continued to plan including charities, NGOs, banks, Procurator Fiscal Service in Scotland, in full for all possible outcomes. It is vital and other financial institutions, the Public Prosecution Service for that we are able to continue to operate communication service providers Northern Ireland and the Serious from the date of departure onwards, and technology companies; Fraud Office; both in NCA-led work and in the • regulatory bodies such the Financial provision of non-EU contingency tools • the National Police Chiefs’ Council Conduct Authority and Solicitors’ to wider law enforcement partners. We and the Association of Police and Regulation Authority; and have worked to strengthen our strategic Crime Commissioners; engagement in Europe with EU partners, • professional bodies including the • UK Intelligence Community, including and we will continue to do so, in order British Banking Association, the Law the National Cyber Security Centre; that we effectively mitigate any change Society and the Chartered Institute to the UK’s strategic access and influence • government - including the Home of Public Finance and Accountancy. on departure from the EU. Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and the Department for International Development;

19 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 PERFORMANCE

The Director General is appointed by, and directly accountable to, the Home Secretary and, through the Home Secretary, to Parliament. The Home Secretary During 2019/20 the NCA will invest holds the Director General to account for the effective discharge of the NCA’s in developing a revised performance functions. This is achieved through a variety of routes, including a weekly letter framework that will ensure consistent on operational activity and a quarterly performance submission. We also report accountability across the organisation. on National SOC performance, in addition to that of the Agency, in response to Quantitative and qualitative the SOC Strategy and the National SOC Performance Framework. assessments of activity and outcomes will be embedded through a series of Agency performance is measured against the six goals in the Five-Year Strategy: performance forums that will engage all staff in developing operational and Intelligence Capabilities organisational improvements. 1. We have an enhanced intelligence 4. We have developed, deployed In addition, the NCA is subject to scrutiny picture of the serious and organised and maintained specialist by Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, crime threats to the UK, and we capabilities and services that are the Northern Ireland Assembly and use it to flex law enforcement’s best delivered nationally. the Northern Ireland Policing Board. collective resources against the The bodies which have a statutory Enablers changing threats. role to inspect, scrutinise or regulate 5. We equip our officers with the right the functions or activities of the NCA Response skills, workplaces and technology include, but are not limited to: HM 2. We operate proactively at the to lead the UK’s response to serious Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire high end of high risk, undertaking and organised crime. and Rescue Service (HMICFRS); the investigations which result in National Audit Office; the Investigatory 6. We have the trust and confidence offenders being brought to justice Powers Commissioner; the Information of the public. through prosecution or, if that is Commissioner; and the Independent not possible, being disrupted using Office for Police Conduct. Also the Police other means. Investigations and Review Commissioner for Scotland and the Police Ombudsman 3. We lead, task, coordinate and and Criminal Justice Inspector in support activity against the most Northern Ireland. serious SOC groups and individuals.

20 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 RESOURCES

We have committed to significant non-pay savings through the period of our three-year business plan to relieve pressure on the budget and allow us to increase our core establishment to around 4500 FTE. For 2019-20, we have set budgets and commissioned affordability measures to reduce non-pay spending to ensure that we have a balanced, affordable and sustainable budget. We secure our funding directly through our Supply Estimate, voted by Parliament. The figures in the table are in accordance with budget controls agreed with Home Office officials and HM Treasury and reflect NCA Board-approved budgetary targets. As a non-ministerial department, we require parliamentary approval of our VOTE funding for 2019/20. The figures cover the costs of the full range of NCA activities over the coming year, excluding income and funding received from other sources. In addition to our VOTE funding, we will receive additional monies from other sources. These include, but are not limited to: £42m to build bespoke capabilities to tackle Illicit Finance - the NAC, NECC and NDEC and an increase to our intelligence and investigatory capacity; and an increase in funding to enhance our ability to tackle CSAE.

INDICATIVE NCA BUDGET 2019-20 £M

Resource3 DEL 478.0 of which: Administration 30.95 Programme 447.05 of which: depreciation 52.5

Capital DEL 50.0 Total DEL (excluding depreciation) 475.5

Until the final settlement is agreed with the Home Office, the figures reported are indicative.

3 The RDEL has been increased from last year as a result of additional core funding for the UK Protected Persons Service, the Illicit Finance uplift and extra money to offset increased employer pension contribution cost pressures.

21 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 STATUTORY BASIS

The NCA is a non-ministerial department, which means that it operates as a Government Department in its own right but does not have its own dedicated minister. Instead it is headed by the Director General, who is accountable to the Home Secretary as sponsoring minister, and through the Home Secretary to Parliament. The Director General has independent operational command of NCA activities. The roles and responsibilities of the Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary – relating to international activity, and wider Government are set out in more detail in the Framework Document for the NCA and the Accountability Letter, which can be found at www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk. To ensure that the NCA is open and transparent, the Director General has a statutory duty to make arrangements for publishing information, and to publish such information about the exercise of the NCA’s functions and other matters relating to the Agency. The NCA is subject to inspection by statutory bodies in England and Wales and those in the Devolved Administrations. The NCA Director General is responsible for the appointment, direction of, and designation of powers to its officers. As Accounting Officer, the NCA Director General is responsible for the NCA’s expenditure and accounting arrangements. The Director General chairs the NCA Board, which includes non-executive members. The Board’s responsibilities include providing strategic oversight and performance monitoring. Further information can be found at www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk.

22 National Crime Agency | Annual Plan 2019-20 @NCA @NCA_UK national_crime_agency www nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk