Clause 5 - SOCA's general powers
Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill
4:45 pm
Ms Caroline Flint (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (reducing organised and international crime, anti drugs co-ordination and international and European issues), Home Office; Don Valley, Labour)
In relation to the points made by the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown), let us not forget that SOCA will predominantly deal with level 3 crime; although, as I have said earlier in the debate, it may still have an involvement and engage with crimes at level 1 and level 2. A level 3 crime is national and international. Therefore, it is important than SOCA has the ability to work with other law enforcement bodies, in Europe and beyond, in pursuit of the aims of the organisation that we discussed earlier: to combat and defeat organised crime. It is absolutely essential that there is an indication within the Bill that SOCA may—and I emphasise ''may''—seek to work with other organisations beyond the UK. The decision is for SOCA. There is no obligation to assist. It is a matter for it to determine. The very nature of the criminal activities, however, would make it a nonsense if we were to try to restrict operational ability to use a network of contacts beyond our own shores in tackling the sort of criminal activity we have talked about, and that my hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw emphasised in relation to drugs. That may not be the answer the hon. Member for Cotswold wants, but I hope it makes clear our intention and desire to give SOCA the ability to carry out their work in that way.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 5 ordered to stand part of the Bill.