Press release

Appointments as national crime agency takes shape

Three senior appointments have been made to the new national crime agency (NCA).

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Trevor Pearce has been appointed director designate of operations, Peter Davies has been named director designate of child exploitation and online protection, and David Armond has been appointed director designate of the agency’s border policing command.

Trevor Pearce and Peter 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).

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 and ensure the smooth transition of SOCA and CEOP into the new agency.’

NCA director general Keith Bristow also welcomed the appointments. He said:

‘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 help to shape a truly national crime agency which will deliver the very best public protection. I am delighted to have all three of them on the team.’

Organised crime costs the public between £20 billion and £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.

It 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. The agency will also house the national cyber crime unit.

It will be fully operational by the end of 2013.

Notes to Editors

1. Subject to the passage of legislation, the NCA will be established through the crime and courts bill published on 11 May.

2. David Armond was recruited following a fair and open competition. Trevor Pearce and Peter Davies have been appointed on an interim basis until the NCA becomes fully operational in 2013. Thereafter Trevor will transfer permanently under a statutory transfer scheme and the role of director CEOP will be competed on the open market.

3. The Director of the BPC will ensure better more joined-up law enforcement activity against those who seek to exploit or evade the UK border. The role will oversee the delivery of a single, comprehensive picture of the threats to public safety and security that manifest themselves at the border to expose opportunities and previously unknown threats. The role will drive all partner agencies operating in and around the border to work together to tackle those threats by prioritising action and tasking and co-ordinating the NCA’s resources as well as wider law enforcement’s assets to have the greatest impact.

4. The Director of operations will be responsible for the NCA’s shared operational and technical resources which will be tasked to support the NCA and partner activity in line with public protection priorities set by the commands.

5. Peter Davies will lead CEOP within the NCA ensuring that it retains its vital national role, unique identity and capabilities, while benefiting from shared intelligence across the NCA. As director designate of CEOP, Mr Davies will oversee the smooth the transition of CEOP into the NCA.

6. Biographical details for David Armond, Peter Davies and Trevor Pearce are available on the home office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/nca/senior-appointments

7. All three appointments have been made in accordance with the civil service recruitment principles. Further senior appointments will be made shortly.

8. For more details contact the home office press office on 020 7035 3535.

Updates to this page

Published 29 May 2012