Former NCA Director General fears impact of Whitehall cuts on fight against crime
The former Director General of the National Crime Agency (NCA), Dame Lynne Owens, says she fears government plans to cut civil servant posts could have a “devastating” impact on tackling serious and organised crime.
Speaking to Policing TV, Dame Lynne said she was keeping a “keen eye” on discussions about the proposals to axe 91,000 jobs and how they might affect the Agency she led for five years.
“When I started in the Agency, the budget was about 400 million. I think it was 711 million in the last year I was there. And rumour has it, that it’s just knocking on 800 million this year. So we did take some big steps towards achieving that. So I’ve got I’ve got a keen eye on the current discussion that is going on in government about civil service cuts, and how that might impact on the Agency because it would be devastating if that took the Agency backwards.,” she said.
The 53-year-old, who retired last year, also revealed that she has not “ruled out” applying to be Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Commissioner in the future – despite deciding not to run after Dame Cressida Dick resigned in February.
“It was a complex decision. I’d written the CV, I’d written the supporting statement, I’d done all the paperwork – which is normally the other way around, people normally do that last. So I think I could have made a strong pitch for the job but I decided not to,” she said.
“It was definitely the hardest career decision about ‘what am I going to do with my career’ I’ve ever made, and I definitely wouldn’t say never. So I don’t rule out I’d apply at some point in the future.
“I’m 53. I finished working in the NCA 18 months ago, 12 months earlier than I probably would have intended to, so I think I’ve got more to give, more to give in public service, more to give elsewhere.It’ll be for other people to decide whether I’m the right fit for any particular job at any particular time, but I definitely don’t see myself as done.”
Ms Owens also expressed disappointment that her permanent replacement at the NCA was yet to be appointed. “I am sad. I’m sad for the agency. Graeme Biggar has been, is, still is doing a really good job as the temporary director general. But being temporary is really hard. I’ve done temporary jobs at different times. And you’re constantly trying to work through, you know, if I make this decision, is it going to bind the permanent person into something that they can’t turn back from? So it works for, sort of, three to six months, but beyond that, I think it’s hard, so I sincerely hope it can be resolved sooner rather than later.”
