The National Crime Agency is “on its knees,” with morale at rock bottom and officers leaving in large numbers, a new report has revealed.
The NCA, often referred to as the UK’s answer to the FBI, has been forced to spend an “alarming” amount on temporary staff and consultants due to staffing issues.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has placed the agency at the heart of his plans to “smash the gangs” bringing people across the English Channel in small boats as a way to tackle the migrant crisis.
According to the report by Spotlight on Corruption, a UK-based anti-corruption charity, nearly one in 10 roles (nine per cent) at the NCA are unfilled due to recruitment issues.
Pay stagnation appears to be the “root cause” of the issue and the report added the agency also faces a “major brain drain” with a quarter of senior managers leaving each year.
A third of legal experts at the NCA also leave each year, casting doubt over the agency’s ability to deal with people smugglers and other organised crime groups.
The report said: “A critical moment has now arrived. If the NCA is to deliver on its mission to protect the UK from hostile threats, fraud and corruption, and serious organised crime more generally, major reform, particularly to pay and conditions, is needed.
“While the NCA’s pay issues are not unique within the public sector, for an agency tasked with protecting the public from these threats, the implications of not addressing the NCA’s pay issues are potentially catastrophic.”
Last week Sir Keir said he is “absolutely convinced” that taking down the criminal gangs smuggling people across the Channel in small boats can be done.
The Prime Minister said the priority “has to be on taking down the gangs that are exploiting vulnerable people, including children”, following a summit on the matter at the NCA headquarters in London.
The Home Secretary has also stressed that the new Government was hiring more investigators for the NCA and working closely with other European nations to address the issue.
Spotlight’s report, which was first reported in the Times, has also warned about the NCA’s ability to deal with areas such as cybercrime, adding that it has “creaking technology”.
Morale and job satisfaction at the NCA is the lowest of 105 surveyed government organisations, with officers paid less than the civil service.
It also pays less than the police at all grades despite investigations potentially being more complex and involving the highest threat levels.
Dr Susan Hawley, Executive Director of Spotlight on Corruption and co-author of the report, said: “If the government wants the NCA to be at the forefront of tackling the range of threats and challenges the UK faces, from organised immigration gangs to hostile and corrupt states, it needs to put its money where its mouth is.
“The NCA for too long has been forced to operate at sub-par because of lack of sufficient investment. It desperately needs a new injection of cash to fund major pay reform and cutting-edge technology.
“This new investment can easily be offset against the long term value for the taxpayer that it will bring, including by reducing the massive sums the agency now spends on temporary labour and consultants to fill its vacancies.”
An NCA spokesperson said: “Serious and organised crime threatens our national security, economic prosperity and the safety of the public we serve; the challenges we face when tackling it are immense, and growing.
“The Agency is world leading in many areas, and has achieved significant and continued success over its decade in operation. Last year alone, our officers made more than 4,700 disruptions, our most ever and more than a dozen every single day.
“That said, the Spotlight report highlights a number of issues regarding our funding, pay structures, staffing and investment – aspects we have identified in our own reports, and are actively working to address.
'We are committed to working with Government to ensure that the Agency has the right structure and operating model, and, crucially, is able to attract, retain and support a talented workforce.
“We know that it is imperative that we deliver value for money while achieving our mission of protecting the public from serious and organised crime, now and as the threat evolves.”
A Home Office spokesperson added: “The National Crime Agency plays a vital role in tackling organised criminal gangs, and this Government is committed to investing in the National Crime Agency and its people to ensure that it has the capacity and capability to tackle growing threats.
“Last month, we announced 100 extra National Crime Agency officers who will work with partners across Europe to smash the criminal smuggling gangs that are driving dangerous small boat crossings, which is on top of the 50 per cent uplift in NCA officers stationed in Europol.”
