Ulster Unionist Justice spokesperson Tom Elliott MLA has welcomed today’s vote in the Assembly to extend the powers of the National Crime Agency (NCA) to operate in Northern Ireland to the same extent as it does in the rest of the UK, so that it can target criminal assets.
Mr Elliott said:
““The NCA’s own website describes it as ‘a new crime-fighting agency with both national and international reach and the mandate and powers to work in partnership with other law enforcement organisations to bring the full weight of the law to bear in cutting serious and organised crime.’
“The situation which existed up until today’s Assembly vote was one in which the citizens of Northern Ireland were severely disadvantaged because the SDLP and Sinn Fein refused to approve the full operational powers of the NCA in this part of the UK.
“This was an unacceptable situation which risked turning Northern Ireland into a safe haven for criminal gangs to ply their trade and use the Province as a base to conduct criminal activities on the UK Mainland. It offered the real possibility of Northern Ireland becoming a criminals’ paradise, which allowed those involved in major crime schemes - both locally and internationally - the freedom of not having the full powers of law enforcement implemented here.
“Thankfully today the SDLP saw sense and voted to enable the NCA to operate within Northern Ireland and end the situation whereby Northern Ireland was more vulnerable to serious and organised criminal gangs who engage in activities such as people trafficking, drugs, cyber-crime and child exploitation.”