Assembly dispute over NCA
The UK Government is preparing to launch the National Crime Agency (NCA) by December this year but local political parties have disagreed over whether the agency should operate in the province. The NCA will incorporate the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.
The Government would prefer that the Assembly grants the NCA permission to operate in Northern Ireland by giving legislative consent to the Crime and Courts Bill. If the Assembly withholds consent, Parliament can override its decision but that option is viewed as a last resort.
Unionists and the Alliance Party support the NCA’s extension to Northern Ireland but Sinn Féin vetoed the proposal when it was debated in the Executive.
Sinn Féin and the SDLP have claimed that the proposal is contrary to the Patten report, as the NCA will not be accountable to the Policing Board.
Chief Constable Matt Baggott has stated that the NCA’s absence “will negatively impact on our ability to protect the public and, in particular, the more vulnerable members of our society.”
Justice Minister David Ford and Home Secretary Theresa May have agreed that the NCA will respect the PSNI’s primacy and operate within a network of law enforcement agencies. Its Director-General will also attend the Policing Board at least once a year and meet the Assembly’s Justice Committee, if requested.
The SDLP has claimed that Scotland rejected the NCA but a Scottish Government spokesman told agendaNi that it had “at no point” opposed the proposal. The Scottish Parliament granted its consent in June 2012.
