NCA begins operations

A man from Troon is among eight people arrested throughout the UK by the newly formed National Crime Agency (NCA) on suspicion of identity theft offences, reports the BBC.

Months of planning went into the operation, which involved dozens of police officers from NCA as well as local police forces and other law enforcement agencies including the DVLA and HM Passport Office.

The NCA advises that further arrests are planned in the coming months as part of Operation Mask, which is a multi-agency operation targeting all types of identity theft.

Among those arrested are people suspected of applying for real passports or driving licences using stolen identities.   

The NCA, which came into existence at the start of this week, has been dubbed by some as ‘the British FBI’ and will lead law enforcement action against organised crime. It replaces the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

“The NCA is a UK-wide crime-fighting agency, which will have the capability to tackle serious and organised crime in areas that have previously had a fragmented response, such as the border, cyber and economic crime, and those where we need to increase our impact, like child protection and human trafficking, “ said the Director General of the NCA, Keith Bristow.

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