UNITED KINGDOM

Fighting organized crime in the United Kingdom

The globalized nature of serious and organized crime is arguably the single greatest threat to UK national security, killing more British citizens each year than terrorism and natural disasters.

The international characteristics of organized crime make the role of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in the United Kingdom fundamental to maintaining national and regional security.

INTERPOL in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom’s INTERPOL NCB is located in Manchester. It plays a central role in protecting the country and surrounding region from the threat of international organized crime.

By providing globally sourced intelligence about regional crime trends, the NCB helps police officers across the country detect and investigate the flow of illicit goods along trafficking routes in and around the country.

The NCB plays a key national role in tackling the serious crime areas which affect the country most, including crimes against children, fugitive investigations, financial crime and trafficking in human beings.

Law enforcement services in the United Kingdom

The UK does not have a national police force. Instead, there are 44 geographic forces in England and Wales, and a single force in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland.  Specialist police forces that work alongside the geographic forces include the British Transport Police, the Ministry of Defence Police and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

NCB Manchester is part of the National Crime Agency (NCA), a body of operational crime fighters leading the UK’s fight to cut serious and organized crime. The NCA addresses national security threats, focusing principally on:

• strengthening UK borders
• fighting fraud and cybercrime
• protecting children and young people
• tackling serious and organized crime

INTERPOL Manchester and the NCA help the UK fight international crime through the coordination and provision of specialist support to investigations, using INTERPOL channels to build effective partnerships between the UK police forces and law enforcement agencies worldwide.

INTERPOL Manchester Sub-Bureaus

INTERPOL Manchester helps the UK Government protect its 14 Overseas Territories from the threats of terrorism and organized crime. There are seven INTERPOL Sub Bureaus annexed to NCB Manchester, each with delegated regional authority: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Turks & Caicos.