The National Crime Agency, a British investigative agency, is once again the talk of the Pakistani media. This time the reason is to close the investigation of financial crimes against Pakistan's opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif and his son Salman Shahbaz.
In addition, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has recommended to the court to open the frozen accounts of the father and son after 21 months of investigation.
The National Crime Agency is the largest investigative agency in the UK, which is also attributed to the British FBI in the media. The idea came a decade ago when former British Prime Minister and then Home Secretary Theresa May proposed the idea of a National Crime Agency. It was formally launched in 2013 and the existing Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) was abolished.
According to the NCA's website, its main functions are to prevent organized crime, money laundering and money laundering, drug trafficking and the proliferation of illegal weapons, to monitor sexual offenses against children and To control cyber crime.
Earlier, the name of the National Crime Agency made headlines in Pakistan when it launched a money laundering investigation against real estate tycoon Malik Riaz.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian, Malik had agreed to pay ریا 190 million to the Riyadh Agency, which was later handed over to Pakistan.
The NCA is considered to be the largest investigative body in the UK with one officer having three powers at the same time. These powers of Police Officer, Customs and Immigration can be exercised at any time when required.
In order to further strengthen this institution, sub-departments of various departments have also been merged in it and at one time even the Counter Terrorism Department of the Metropolitan Police has been started to be integrated in it.
Speaking to Urdu News, Murtaza Ali Shah, a Pakistani journalist based in the UK, said, “Since the most important task of this organization is to prevent serious and organized crime, it has proved its mettle in preventing money fraud. In the case of Malik Riaz, they put everything on the table. They close the account only when they have to do a forensic investigation. So I think if the NCA has cleared someone after an investigation, they are lucky. '
The NCA is not only active against serious and organized crime on British soil, but it is also used by international investigative agencies to contact the UK. It is also called the British Research Gateway. As with EuroPolice or InterPolice, their first contact in the UK is the NCA.
The National Crime Agency is a non-ministerial body, meaning it is not under any ministry but is accountable only to the Foreign Minister. Similarly, all other law enforcement agencies in the country are obliged to work with it.
In addition, all regional organized crime officers working in the UK also work under it, while several police agencies have also been integrated into it.
