Specialist prosecutors to tackle organised crime

Attorney General Lord Goldsmith has launched plans for a group of dedicated specialist prosecutors to tackle serious organised criminals and put them out of business.

The specialist cohort, which will aid the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), will be based in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Revenue and Customers Prosecution Office (RCPO), which will be established by statute later this year.

Lord Goldsmith said: "It is important that SOCA has at its disposal the experience and expertise of both the CPS and the Customs and Excise Prosecutions Office, for whom dealing with organised crime is bread and butter. The dual prosecutor role will mean that none of the expertise is lost."

The specialist dedicated prosecutors will be selected from the existing ranks of prosecutors, as well as from experienced trial lawyers currently in private practise. The Attorney General said that the new team would be enable to ensure there was more concerted use of existing powers, such as the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Lord Goldsmith said that the group would "start a new generation of a more visible, self-confident and world-class prosecutors."

The Attorney General stated that organised crime was big business in the UK, which could amount to at least £20 billion a year. He said that the objective of the new plans was to reduce the harm done to British people by organised crime.

He added:"We want to make the UK one of the least attractive locations in the world for organised crime to operate. Prosecution is a vital part of our strategy. It is the way to put criminals out of circulation for a long time and confiscate their assets. Above all, prosecution is the way to increase the personal risk for criminals, especially the criminal kingpins."

(KMcA/SP)