Police Act 1997

FunctionsE+W

48 General functions of the NCS Service Authority and the National Crime Squad.E+W

(1)The NCS Service Authority shall maintain a body to be known as the National Crime Squad.

(2)The function of the National Crime Squad shall be to prevent and detect serious crime which is of relevance to more than one police area in England and Wales.

(3)The National Crime Squad may also—

(a)at the request of a chief officer of police of a police force in England and Wales, act in support of the activities of his force in the prevention and detection of serious crime;

(b)at the request of the Director General of NCIS, act in support of the activities of NCIS;

(c)institute criminal proceedings;

(d)co-operate with other police forces in the United Kingdom in the prevention and detection of serious crime;

(e)act in support of other law enforcement agencies in the prevention and detection of serious crime.

(4)For the purposes of subsection (3), “law enforcement agency” includes—

(a)any government department,

(b)the States of Jersey Police Force, the salaried police force of the Island of Guernsey and the Isle of Man Constabulary,

(c)any other person charged with the duty of investigating offences or charging offenders, and

(d)any other person engaged outside the United Kingdom in the carrying on of activities similar to any carried on by the NCS Service Authority, the National Crime Squad, a police authority, a police force, the NCIS Service Authority or NCIS.

(5)In discharging its functions, the NCS Service Authority shall have regard to—

(a)any objectives determined by the Secretary of State under section 71,

(b)any objectives determined by the Authority under section 49,

(c)any performance targets established by the Authority, whether in compliance with a direction under section 72 or otherwise, and

(d)any service plan issued by the Authority under section 50.

(6)In discharging any function to which a code of practice issued under section 73 relates, the NCS Service Authority shall have regard to the code.

(7)The NCS Service Authority shall comply with any direction given to it by the Secretary of State under section 72 or 75 or under Schedule 5.

49 Objectives.E+W

(1)The NCS Service Authority shall secure that the National Crime Squad is efficient and effective.

(2)The NCS Service Authority shall, before the beginning of each financial year, determine objectives for that year for the National Crime Squad.

(3)Objectives determined under this section may relate to matters to which objectives determined under section 71 also relate, or to other matters, but in any event shall be so framed as to be consistent with the objectives determined under that section.

(4)Before determining objectives under this section, the NCS Service Authority shall consult—

(a)the Director General of the National Crime Squad,

(b)the NCIS Service Authority, and

(c)persons whom it considers to represent the interests of police authorities for areas in England and Wales.

50 Service plans.E+W

(1)The NCS Service Authority shall, before the beginning of each financial year, issue a plan setting out the proposed arrangements for the carrying out by the National Crime Squad of its functions during the year (“the service plan”).

(2)The service plan shall include a statement of the Authority’s priorities for the year, of the financial resources expected to be available and of the proposed allocation of those resources, and shall give particulars of—

(a)any objectives determined by the Secretary of State under section 71,

(b)any objectives determined by the Authority under section 49, and

(c)any performance targets established by the Authority, whether in compliance with a direction under section 72 or otherwise.

(3)A draft of the service plan shall be prepared by the Director General of the National Crime Squad and submitted by him to the Authority for it to consider.

(4)Before issuing a service plan which differs from the draft submitted by the Director General under subsection (3), the Authority shall consult the Director General.

(5)The Authority shall arrange for every service plan issued by it under this section to be published in such manner as appears to it to be appropriate, and shall send a copy of the plan to—

(a)the Secretary of State,

(b)each police authority for an area in England and Wales,

(c)the chief officer of police of each police force in England and Wales,

(d)the NCIS Service Authority, and

(e)the Director General of NCIS.

51 Annual reports.E+W

(1)The NCS Service Authority shall, as soon as possible after the end of each financial year, issue a report on the carrying out of its functions during that year.

(2)A report issued under this section for any year shall include an assessment of the extent to which the service plan for that year issued under section 50 has been carried out.

(3)The NCS Service Authority shall arrange for every report issued by it under this section to be published in such manner as appears to it to be appropriate, and shall send a copy of the report to—

(a)the Secretary of State,

(b)each police authority for an area in England and Wales,

(c)the chief officer of police of each police force in England and Wales,

(d)the NCIS Service Authority, and

(e)the Director General of NCIS.