The introduction of the National Crime Agency (NCA) in 2013 will establish a powerful body of operational crime fighters who will ensure serious criminals and organised gangs are tracked down and brought to justice.
The NCA will operate as a single organisation built around four distinct ‘commands’ – Organised Crime, Border Policing, Economic Crime and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. In addition, the NCA will house the National Cyber Crime Unit.
For the first time, a single national agency will be capable of pulling together the complete intelligence picture and, at the same time, have the authority to co-ordinate and task a national response.
Trevor Pearce and Peter Davies have been named (respectively) as director designate of operations and director designate of child exploitation and online protection. At the same time, David Armond has been appointed director designate of the NCA’s Border Policing Command.
Speaking about the appointments, Home Secretary Theresa May said: “The NCA will transform the UK’s ability to tackle serious and organised crime and keep communities safe. These appointments bring us invaluable experience and expertise, and will help build an effective Border Policing Command while also ensuring the smooth transition of SOCA and CEOP into the new agency.”
Organised crime costs the public somewhere between GB pound 20 billion and GB pound 40 billion each year. The NCA will be responsible for tackling these crimes, which include child abuse, drug and people smuggling, illegal immigration, fraud and cyber crime.
Pearce and Davies will carry out their NCA roles in addition to current responsibilities in the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).
Keith Bristow, who was appointed director general of the NCA in October last year, has also welcomed the announcement.
“These three appointments are crucial to the ongoing design and implementation of the NCA. Trevor, Peter and David are influential crime fighters who bring a wealth of experience. They will not only help to shape the agency we want and need, but will also ensure a smooth transition into a truly National Crime Agency which delivers the very best public protection. I’m delighted all three of them are the team.”
Long career in law enforcement
Trevor Pearce’s career in law enforcement started in 1975 with Kent County Constabulary. He served in a variety of postings, and mainly as a detective including specialist roles within the Drugs Squad, Special Branch, Complaints Investigation and the Specialist Crime Department.
In 1998 he was seconded to the National Crime Squad and, in September 2004, became director general of the National Crime Squad. During this time, Pearce oversaw a range of complex organised crime investigations.
In February 2005, Pearce was appointed as executive director (designate) of the UK’s new Serious Organised Crime Agency and, in 2006, took up his appointment as executive director with responsibility for enforcement. In this role he oversaw deployment of the organisation’s investigative resources as well as specialist services such as counter corruption, anti-kidnap and extortion as well as firearms. He also led on developing new operational practice and methodology for tackling serious and organised crime and investigative development.
Externally, Pearce has been a member of various committees organised by the Association of Chief Police Officers, and has served as chairman of both the National Undercover Working Group and the National Source Working Group.
In 2002, Pearce was appointed a member of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and has subsequently been re-appointed twice. In 2004, he was asked by the UK Home Office to lead a review on behalf of law enforcement of covert policing legislation.
Internationally, Pearce has been vice-chairman and chairman of the International Working Group on Undercover Activity and was the first chairman of the International Working Group on Informant Activity.
Pearce was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in the 2006 Birthday Honours List bestowed by Her Majesty The Queen.
Experience in frontline and strategic policing roles
For his part, Peter Davies holds the national lead for Child Protection and Abuse Investigation (including child abduction) and the national lead for Missing Children’s Services on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). He’s also CEO of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre.
Davies boasts over 25 years’ experience in frontline and strategic policing roles, and was appointed chief executive of CEOP in November 2010.
He has served with three police forces – Thames Valley, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. His roles within these forces have encompassed all aspects of operational policing, including contributions to national work on criminal justice, restorative justice and neighbourhood policing.
Davies joined Lincolnshire Police in 1999 and was appointed ACC in 2003. His responsibilities in that role included child protection, serious crime investigation and extensive partnership work to safeguard children and vulnerable young people.
In 2009 and 2010, he undertook a secondment to Nottinghamshire Police to focus work on improved crime reduction and detection. He was chairman of the East Midlands Regional Tasking and Co-ordination Group addressing serious and organised crime across the region.
Peter has led a number of nationally and internationally significant crime enquiries encompassing the distribution of indecent images of children, domestic extremism, fraud and serious organised crime. He has worked extensively in partnerships at local, regional and national level and has held a variety of national ACPO responsibilities.
A qualified executive coach and mentor, Davies continues to train strategic level police investigators (PIP 4) and is an assessor for the Senior Police National Assessment Centre (Senior PNAC).
Working with SOCA and ACPO
David Armond joined the Metropolitan Police Service in 1976, serving in a variety of posts and roles across London.
He was appointed as the divisional commander for Forest Gate in 1997, subsequently becoming the first Borough Commander for Camden in 1999. He attended the Strategic Command Course at Bramshill in 2001 and was promoted to commander in the MPS Serious Crime Group later that year when he had responsibility for homicide investigations in North and West London as well as for economic and specialist crime functions.
A reorganisation in 2003 led to the creation of the MPS Specialist Crime Directorate, when Armond retained responsibility for economic and specialist crime and also took on the Child Abuse Investigation Command (in turn leading on a raft of issues which included the MPS response to the Victoria Climbie Inquiry, child abuse on the internet and the establishment of major investigation teams to deal with child homicide at the hands of carers and sudden unexpected death in infancy).
Armond was a member of the ACPO Economic Crime Committee and CICFA, led on the creation and establishment of the London Regional Asset Recovery Team, was the MPS POCA champion and led on the design and implementation of Operation Payback (which has now become a national byword for asset recovery).
In 2004 he was appointed as head of homicide investigations for London.
Armond joined SOCA as deputy director, proceeds of crime in 2006, and was a member of the National Asset Recovery Board and the Money Laundering Advisory Committee.
In April 2009, he was appointed deputy director of the International Crime Department, taking responsibility for international operations, SOCA’s overseas liaison network and its UK desks as well as Europol and Interpol national units. He’s also the chairman of the International Drugs Threat Reduction Board, the National Co-ordinator for European EMPACT projects and a member of the Europol Management Board.
Armond was awarded the Queens Police Medal for distinguished service in the 2006 Birthday Honours List issued by Her Majesty The Queen.
