Britain's new "FBI" crime-fighting unit launched

LONDON, Apr 3 (Reuters) Britain launched a national crime-fighting unit modelled on the United States' FBI today with the aim of tackling the major gangs behind such crimes as people trafficking and drug smuggling.

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), which will have a staff of around 5,000, will tackle drug traffickers, people-smugglers, global paedophile networks and sophisticated fraudsters.

Prime Minister Tony Blair, who launched the unit at Downing Street today, said the time had come to end the ''tyranny'' brought by organised crime.

''We know this organised criminal activity takes place,'' he said. ''The level of sophistication, the level, frankly, of brutality, with which many of these gangs operate today, means that we have to (operate) differently.

''There is absolutely nothing in my view that should come before the basic liberties of people in this country to be freed from the tyranny ... of this type of organised crime. We will do everything we possibly can to achieve that.'' The agency will have new powers such as the use of evidence from phone tapping, plea bargaining for witnesses, and a more sophisticated witness protection programme. It is based on the U S Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

SOCA's chairman Sir Stephen Lander, former head of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5, has said one of its main goals will be to take on people-smugglers who exploit illegal immigrants, such as the 23 Chinese shellfish gatherers who drowned in Morecambe Bay in northern England in February 2004.

''Making a real difference against organised crime is a major undertaking but we are ambitious for success,'' he said.

The agency will also focus on those criminals involved in trafficking women, often from eastern Europe, into Britain and forcing them to work as prostitutes.

''SOCA will combine proven techniques and new methods of investigation, intelligence gathering and intervention to prevent organised criminals from causing harm and misery to our fellow citizens and to the UK in general,'' said Bill Hughes, SOCA's director general, in a statement.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke has said organised crime in Britain costs between 20 billion pounds to 40 billion pounds (.23 billion) per year and is rising.

Last month, London police said it was estimated there were 170 organised criminal gangs made up of over 24 different nationalities working in the capital alone.

SOCA will be Britain's first such non-police law-enforcement agency. Its role combines the work previously carried out by the National Crime Squad and the National Criminal Intelligence Service as well as some areas which immigration and customs officers used to enforce.

REUTERS OM HT1545