With the end of 2017 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top civil servants to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2018 – and tell us what they cannot do Christmas without
What are you most proud of achieving in 2017?
The National Crime Agency pursues the most dangerous criminals. I’m very proud that our officers have developed significant new capabilities, meaning hundreds of those who pose a grave threat to our national security and safety will be spending the festive season behind bars.
They include a manipulative and technically savvy individual who, having persuaded young people to supply him with degrading images, blackmailed them. He is now locked up after admitting 137 offences. Joining him in prison are an armourer who kept criminal groups topped up with explosives and ammunition plus three men who smuggled up to 20 Albanian migrants a month into the UK.
Our intelligence experts are continually developing an up-to-the-minute picture of the threats we face. This means more serious and organised criminals will soon be spending their first Christmas in prison.
What was your most difficult decision in 2017?
A particularly tough area has been reward and recognition – because of structures the NCA inherited, the amount we are allowed to pay our officers in some areas has fallen significantly behind the market rate for comparable roles.
As a result we have had to make some difficult choices, deciding to invest predominantly in the areas where uncompetitive pay is felt most acutely and where the impact on operational effectiveness is greatest.
What are your organisation’s top priorities in the year ahead?
We must stay a step ahead of serious and organised criminals. Technology, globalisation and the migration crisis are all being exploited by those who would cause us harm, and no single agency can deal with the problems alone.
Crime is changing faster than ever before – we are focused on leading a whole system approach to tackling current and emerging threats.
For you, no Christmas holiday is complete without...
Ongoing operations – I mentioned the threats we face are ever evolving. The dark web, which enables so many crime types, doesn’t shut down for Christmas. There will be NCA officers working around the clock to keep the public safe this festive season and I am truly proud of them.