UK National Crime Agency (NCA) Director General Lynne Owens has called on government ministers to allocate an additional 2.7 billion pounds ($3.5 billion) to address the increase in serious and organized crime in the United Kingdom, the NCA said in a statement.
“A £2.7bn investment in law enforcement is needed to combat SOC [Serious and Organised Crime] over the next three years, NCA Director General Lynne Owens said today as she released the National Strategic Assessment (NSA)… The money would enable the agency to meet growing demand and to build capabilities in areas such as digital forensics, covert surveillance, financial investigations and other critical areas law enforcement needs to combat SOC in the 21st century”, the statement published on the agency’s website said.
According to Owens, the increase in serious and organised crime in the United Kingdom is “chronic and corrosive,” with about 181,000 people — half the size of the UK army — linked with criminal networks nationwide.