The home secretary has unveiled plans for a new FBI-style agency to fight organised crime.

David Blunkett announced plans on Monday to unify parts of the National Crime Squad, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, Customs and Excise and the Immigration Service.

The new body, which will have over 5,000 staff, will come into effect in 2006.

It is being billed as the biggest shake-up of policing in the UK since the current constabularies were created in 1964.

Ministers point to the rise in sophisticated crimes such as drug trafficking, people smuggling and financial crime which routinely crosses international borders.

The recent tragedy involving Chinese cockle-pickers at Morecambe Bay has also highlighted the problem of illegal gang masters who use cheap labour.

Blunkett pledge

Blunkett said the agency would focus on tracking down organised criminals beyond traditional borders.

"Modern organised criminals are sophisticated, organised and well-resourced entrepreneurs," he said.

"We need to respond to this changing criminal threat, harness the skills of non-traditional investigators like accountants and legal experts and combine these with our world-class detectives and intelligence officers.

"We must become better organised, more sophisticated and more technologically capable than the criminals.

"We must not just keep pace but have to get ahead of them."

Concern

Conservatives gave the announcement a cautious welcome.

“We broadly welcome the government's plans but have reservations about how they will be carried out in practice," said shadow home secretary David Davis. 

"This government has a history of announcing headline grabbing initiatives and not seeing them through properly.

"We trust this will not be applied here. After all, it is a re-announcement and one, which will be years in the pipeline.

“On these proposals, the government must address many aspects. These include the current boundaries between forces; the regional structure of this new unit; the current rivalries between departments and the cost implications.

"Let's hope the sharing of intelligence and information will be much better under the new suggested structure.

"The Conservatives will study any new proposals carefully".

Some police chiefs have expressed concern over the plans, calling for safeguards to prevent territorial disputes between the new service and local forces

And the Liberal Democrats also fear a move away from the local accountability of constabularies.

"I hope it will not be a step towards a national police force," said the party's home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten.

"Bringing the complex issues of drug, money and people trafficking under one agency makes sense as local forces are clearly struggling to cope.

"However David Blunkett should not see this as the start of a national police force under his control."