Will an organised crime agency work?

The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, has unveiled plans for an FBI-style agency to tackle organised crime in Britain.

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) will be allowed to use phone tapping as evidence in court and a system of plea bargaining will be introduced.

The new FBI-style police force will be used to combat offences like people smuggling and drug trafficking.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said the "scourge" of organised crime had to be confronted, but acknowledged he may face criticism from civil rights groups.

What do you think of the plans? Will the SOCA be effective in tackling organised crime?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

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The following comments reflect the balance of the opinions we have received:

SOCA is a tabloid headline writer's dream Rob, Coventry, UK

If they expect anyone to take the new agency seriously they need a better name. SOCA (read "soccer") is a tabloid headline writer's dream.
Rob, Coventry, UK

What needs to be dealt with is the fact that the public don't trust the police as far as we can throw them. It feels like every day I read about someone who wasn't caught or someone who obviously hasn't got a long enough sentence. If I, a law abiding citizen, don't trust the police, then why would any gang member.
Cat, Cambridge, UK

If this increasingly pathetic government really had been 'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime' we would not need this new agency.
Linda, UK

The more resources the police have the better for all of us Dave, Cornwall, UK

The more resources the police have the better for all of us. I hope this is new money and additional resource, and not savings from other cutbacks.
Dave, Cornwall, UK

None of us can say because we're not qualified to say. However, I think we at least need to try, so this is a good move.
Tony, UK

If they repealed the draconian drugs laws and replaced them with sensible licensing, there would't be anywhere near as much organised crime in the first place.
Martin, UK

Given that much of organised crime centres around drugs and that the drug trade is lucrative because drugs are illegal, how about decriminalising drugs and treating victims, for that's what addicts are, medically.
Brian W, Chelmsford, UK

All we need is for the existing law enforcement agencies to do their job Alan, Nottingham, England

SOCA is just the latest example of smoke and mirrors from that master of illusion, David Blunkett. We don't need yet another bunch of 'crime busters' no doubt producing forests full of paperwork. All we need is for the existing law enforcement agencies to do their job, preferably by concentrating on real crime.
Alan, Nottingham, England

Isn't the UK of a size that merits simply having a national police force rather than a series of local forces with an over-arching FBI style organisation as well? The USA is geographically huge - the UK isn't. Strikes me that we're pandering to the sensitivities of those with vested interests in the current local police management.
Ian, Chesham, UK

I think they need to concentrate on making what we currently have more effective. The witness protection system works in the USA, simply because of the size of the country/states. To gang members finding someone in Britain will be very easy.
Nick, Leeds, UK

Of course it won't work! It doesn't work in America. I am an ex-drug squad officer. There were eight of us for the whole of South Yorkshire. We were merely scratching the surface. The big boys never get caught, believe me. We don't need a FBI system, just more funding and more officers on the street instead of paper shufflers. I personally know of one superintendent (at 50 grand a year) who has never been on the streets and seen an angry man let alone arrested one.
Paul, Japan (ex Brit)

Another week, another pronouncement from David Blunkett. Let's get the basics right first before we begin to think of another costly layer of ineffectual policing
David Shipton, Cardiff, UK

Why bother wasting money on catching criminals when they're all going to get away with a slap on the wrist and compensation for the stress caused during arrest?!? When the justice system gets its act together and actually jails people for major offences, then maybe they should bother with a UK FBI. Until then it's a worthless pursuit.
Sian, UK

This just proves that we have been failed by the existing Police Force.
Dave Hough, Nottingham, UK

Great idea. So does this mean more regular police officers will be available for patrolling streets in our communities ?
Lee Nicken, East Sussex

No amount of extra police, be it FBI style or any style, will work Barry, Exeter, England

No amount of extra police, be it FBI style or any style, will work. All the time our courts are loaded in favour of, and lenient towards the criminal.
Barry, Exeter, England

British jails are already at bursting point. What are they going to do with all the people they prosecute?
Dan, Yateley, England

Fighting organised crime and trafficking is surely a high priority, but why does this government continue to insist that the only way to deliver decent law enforcement is to suspend civil rights? The clear message from the 9/11 a hearing in the US is that it is internal "silos" and bureaucracy, rather than access to information that continues to impede law enforcement. The information is there, it simply isn't being communicated. A central agency could fix that, but it probably won't.
Mike, London, UK

What have the Special Branch been doing all these years?
Vhora, UK

It's a nice idea. However, the FBI in its infancy under Hoover spent most of its time spying in those evil groups such as homosexuals, black civil rights groups, communist and leftist groups and immigrant rights groups so I'm pretty hesitant about it. I'm not sure it's ever a good idea setting up new civil or law enforcement agencies during a time of paranoia (and we ARE in a time of paranoia).
Arkady, Bolton, UK

SOCA will just be another political football.
Nigel Burton, Wellington, New Zealand

Surely we should be effectively managing existing resources before we create new one's John, Mirfield, England

As our existing Police force has a communication, IT and administration infrastructure in place, why not just give them the resources to do the job properly? They have specialist teams in place already don't they? If the problem is poor communication between law-enforcement organisations, why create another one to communicate inefficiently with? Surely we should be effectively managing existing resources before we create new one's.
John, Mirfield, England

If judges gave out stiffer penalties in the first place, if prisons were less like hotels with inmates living a luxury life style. If criminals were made to suffer for their crime they would feel less inclined to go out and re offend or indeed commit the crime in the first place. I believe the best deterrent of crime is for the would-be criminal to be frightened of what would happen to him if he were caught. That way there would be no need for extra departments to be set up. Our police force as it stands should be more than sufficient. There would be far less crime.
Elizabeth, Durham

Why is the British Government copying the Americans?
Sola Ayandele, Ibadan, Nigeria

It might do some good if it can overcome rivalry with ordinary police force and corruption (as happened with regional crime squads).
Roger Jackson, Stockport, England

When will the UK stop this American style of rename, repackage and reshuffle Matthew Barker, Great Britain

When will the UK stop this American style of rename, repackage and reshuffle and actually get down to the nuts and bolts of the problems facing the existing agencies. On the surface they seem fine, if a little too much like our 'brethren' in America. One thing that does bother me is how the press are calling it a new FBI style, as many are aware; the FBI is fraught with squabbles and internal wranglings. It is cumbersome and has very little success in the great scheme of organised crime.
Matthew Barker, Great Britain

Unlikely. If the Farce of Humberside and Ian Huntley is anything to go by, petty squabbles over turf will matter more.
Philip Le Roux, Hampshire England

This new force needs far greater powers to detain suspects, if need be without limit to build cases against them. Phone tapping etc is all welcome, but new style courts where people can be convicted on the balance of probabilities would be a step forwards. Seizing assets before or indeed without conviction is another must. A good start must go much further. Criminal and law-abiding alike needs to become fearful of this force to make it effective.
John Cooper, Slough

The "UK FBI" won't be worthwhile if it's anything like the American FBI: Famous But Incompetent.
Silvio Kalich, London

Funny I thought we had this already or did I miss something and the serious crimes squad has been disbanded?
Neil, East Grinstead UK

A clean slate and a nationally accountable force with proper protection for witnesses may be just what is needed Anon, London, UK

I know that many local police forces suffer entrenched corruption - to the point where they simply cannot prosecute gangs of organised criminals due to sabotage from within. A clean slate and a nationally accountable force with proper protection for witnesses may be just what is needed.
Anon, London, UK

Organised crime? Surely the cutbacks in police forces countrywide are directly responsible for this? I would prefer to see more bobbies with their feet on the pavement, the street level is where informants and supergrasses get their info not sitting behind the wheel of a car.
Sandy, Scotland

Anything to stop the current trend in this country to stop people taking the "easy" route and turning to crime is a good thing in my opinion.
Simon, St. Albans

We desperately need our security forces boosting at the organised crime and the terrorist level. Both areas are characterised by strong international elements where differences between policing/law are exploited by these criminals. Without such an Agency we are destined to become a soft touch in this area. I just hope it's given sufficient powers to really crack down hard.
Pete, Birmingham UK

Civil Rights complaints are probably going to be less of a hindrance to SOCA than the lack of information sharing and jurisdictional infighting that already exists between the current agencies.
Ian Pearson, Birmingham, UK

We already have a Serious Crime Agency. It is called "your local constabulary" Al, UK

We already have a Serious Crime Agency. It is called "your local constabulary". In an increasing number of cases, police are loathed to respond to calls relating to burglary and other "minor" incidents, other than to issue a crime number for insurance purposes. I trust that this new Agency will be properly funded by new money, and not (as I suspect will happen), by funds siphoned off from other areas of the crime-fighting budget. I am afraid that this is just another headline-grabbing ploy from a Home Secretary out of his depth.
Al, UK

I hope it works, but I fear that criminals are always one step ahead.
David Rogers, Worcester

Yes it'll work as long Gordon Brown doesn't decide to cut it, and the sentencing cuts only happen when the "cascading convictions" materialise. If the informant has been lying, the time should be added back to the sentence with four more years for perjury.
Flynn, London, England

I think there is little trust as it is Emma Booth, Chelmsford, Essex

In some ways it is a good idea but at the end of the day people won't know who to trust and I think there is little trust as it is.
Emma Booth, Chelmsford, Essex

Is this the confirmation that the force has been pre-occupied with motorists?
Peter Palmer, Buckinghamshire

I think any form of new law enforcement is welcome, providing they work with existing police forces and not against them. One thing I noticed about the FBI\local police department relationship is the rivalry and jurisdiction issues that slow down investigations. Let's hope we don't follow suit.
John, Portsmouth, England

As long as the suggestion of lowering the requiring level of proof is shelved, this could be a good idea. Some joined up policing to deal with joined up crime. On the other hand, a quicker way of dealing a huge blow to organised crime would be to give up on the failed 'War on Drugs' and legalise and regulate instead, thus dealing a killer blow to the finances of organised crime.
Katherine, London, UK

I hope it will work. I think that if witnesses are offered better security, they may come forward more readily, so I hope that if it happens, then this new force implements the witness protection idea properly. As for phone tapping, well, why not. What's the point of not using it when it could be unequivocal proof of guilt, and could take criminals off the street?
Naseem Ramsahye, London, UK

it will probably be under funded Kim George, London UK

No because it will probably be under funded, under staffed and over bureaucratic.
Kim George, London UK

Organised crime causes misery to thousands of people and measures to counter the evil people involved should be welcomed. I am amazed that phone tap evidence is not already allowable in court. As long as warrants must be issued to authorise phone taps I cannot see anything wrong using them for trapping criminals. With regard to civil rights groups, I am sure that they are as concerned about the rights of the victims of organised crime as the rest of us.
Sheila, Devon/UK

We should have witness protection - then more people would come forward... As for phone tapping - well, if you have nothing to hide, why would you object? If these measures help cut crime - who could possibly argue!
James, Dorset, UK

Yet another layer of bureaucracy Steven Simpson, Sunderland

Yet another layer of bureaucracy, more public money being wasted on an illusion to make us feel safer! Why do we need another department with a trendy acronym? Why aren't the real police tackling organized crime? The FBI hasn't been able to stop terrorism or organized crime, we simply need are more police officers of the street doing there jobs.
Steven Simpson, Sunderland

The only people who will get caught by phone tapping will be kids discussing such minor offences as buying cannabis or adults involved in affairs. I cannot imagine serious organised crime bosses using phones at all, especially mobiles that can be tracked. I certainly cannot imagine terrorist organisations doing the same. Then again maybe I give them too much credit. Of course if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear, except being mistaken for someone who does.
David R, Plymouth UK

This initiative is one of the best to come out of the Home Office in recent years. Most people believe 'policing' to be a general activity that can be applied to 'crime'. This is not the case and specific threats to the rule of law in this country need to be met with specific responses. The SOCA will allow the various constabularies to focus on day-to-day policing and enable the UK to tackle organised crime in an equally organised fashion.
Chris, Oxford, UK

How many more "new measures" will this Government propose without actually putting anything into place?
Stuart Fountain, London UK

Do we get to have police blasting in through doors and arguments between regular police and FBI style police just like in the movies too? What is the point? Better coordination between police departments is what you need.
Gabriel Asseily, UK

Britain needs an agency solely focused on tackling organised crime Nadia Arshad, UK

This is an excellent plan which will save a lot of money. Britain needs an agency solely focused on tackling organised crime. It's about time we had an FBI-style police agency.
Nadia Arshad, UK

More cost, more waste. I'm sorry but I thought that we had a police force already in this country.
Alastair, UK

I welcome all efforts to combat crime. An Amercian style '3-strikes and your out' would also get my vote as I'm sick of career criminals being allowed back on to the streets to re-offend.
Paul, Preston, UK

"Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" said Blair in 1997. Crime has since risen meteorically. The previous bright ideas haven't worked up to now so I see no reason to believe they will in future.
Carl Jackson, Chalfont St Giles

Isn't this what the police force and Scotland Yard are suppose to do. How have the government found funding for this when they claim that they can not help put more police on the street due to their being no funds. I really do wonder where all my tax goes because it's certainly not to the right places
Helen W, UK

You ask; will an organised crime agency work? Do you mean an agency to deal with organised crime, or a crime investigation agency that is organised?! The latter would be a step forward in this nation of disconnected and disparate regional police organisations.
Paul B, Oxford, UK

Yet another waste of money I would imagine. They need to sort out the justice system first.
John, UK

Why do people have this idea that the FBI is some sort of super-agency that handles everything? The United States has a separate agency for virtually every sort of crime. And with thousands of police forces nationwide, it needs a national agency. There are only about fifty police forces in this country. It's an entirely different situation. But, as always, this government feels it needs to copy the Americans.
James, Coventry, England

I hope it will work, and that its remit will take off the gloves that stop the big boys cashing in on drugs and other crimes. But it will only work if it is given the backing of all other law enforcing bodies or have the power to override them with ministerial approval. It should also have the power to look into all property held overseas held by UK residents and how it was paid for.
Ken, UK