Spotlight Report: Britain's FBI Needs Urgent Help.
A new study by Spotlight on Corruption reveals the critical state of the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). The report, titled "Is the British FBI on its knees? How to Make the National Crime Agency Truly Elite" points to serious problems in the work of the agency.
Without significant reforms and investment, the NCA's ability to protect society from threats such as corruption, money laundering and organised crime could be jeopardized. The study found that employee morale is critically low, and the agency is losing officers due to pay inequality and lack of career advancement.
Since 2015, spending on temporary staff and consultants in the NCA has increased by 369%, and over the past three years by 58%. Currently, 9 per cent of posts remain vacant due to recruitment problems, more than double the public sector average.
The real salary of the agency's officers has decreased by 16.3% since its inception in 2013. Despite the recent 7% increase, employees still earn 13.9% less in real terms compared to a decade earlier.
The NCA is facing a serious brain drain, with a quarter of senior managers and a third of legal professionals leaving each year. More than half of employees (59%) are stuck at the bottom rung of the career ladder with no possibility of a salary increase or promotion. Of particular concern is the fact that the agency could face equal pay claims worth around £200 million due to existing pay inequality.
The NCA's independent pay review body called for consideration of changing the agency's organizational form and urgent reform of the pay system. As a division of the civil service under the Home Office, the NCA is particularly vulnerable to hiring freezes and budget cuts, unlike the police force, despite its critical role in protecting the public.
Spotlight on Corruption calls on the UK government to:
The report is the third in a series of Spotlight surveys looking at the current state of economic crime enforcement in the UK. The organization plans to release at least one more report assessing current methods of reinvesting the proceeds of fines and asset forfeiture in the fight against economic crime.
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A new study by Spotlight on Corruption reveals the critical state of the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). The report, titled "Is the British FBI on its knees? How to Make the National Crime Agency Truly Elite" points to serious problems in the work of the agency.
Without significant reforms and investment, the NCA's ability to protect society from threats such as corruption, money laundering and organised crime could be jeopardized. The study found that employee morale is critically low, and the agency is losing officers due to pay inequality and lack of career advancement.
Since 2015, spending on temporary staff and consultants in the NCA has increased by 369%, and over the past three years by 58%. Currently, 9 per cent of posts remain vacant due to recruitment problems, more than double the public sector average.
The real salary of the agency's officers has decreased by 16.3% since its inception in 2013. Despite the recent 7% increase, employees still earn 13.9% less in real terms compared to a decade earlier.
The NCA is facing a serious brain drain, with a quarter of senior managers and a third of legal professionals leaving each year. More than half of employees (59%) are stuck at the bottom rung of the career ladder with no possibility of a salary increase or promotion. Of particular concern is the fact that the agency could face equal pay claims worth around £200 million due to existing pay inequality.
The NCA's independent pay review body called for consideration of changing the agency's organizational form and urgent reform of the pay system. As a division of the civil service under the Home Office, the NCA is particularly vulnerable to hiring freezes and budget cuts, unlike the police force, despite its critical role in protecting the public.
Spotlight on Corruption calls on the UK government to:
- Conduct an urgent review of the NCA's organizational status to protect it from hiring freezes and budget cuts.
- Invest new funds in the NCA to implement rapid and far-reaching pay reform.
- Provide the necessary investments to modernize the agency's technological capabilities.
The report is the third in a series of Spotlight surveys looking at the current state of economic crime enforcement in the UK. The organization plans to release at least one more report assessing current methods of reinvesting the proceeds of fines and asset forfeiture in the fight against economic crime.
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