National Crime Agency: Recommendations from the DPP to Enhance Criminal Justice Framework

The report commissioned by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) suggests strengthening its independence, clarifying its relationship with the Attorney General, and establishing a National Prosecution Service. The National Crime Agency will focus on serious crimes, while the DPP will maintain control over prosecutions. The goal is to achieve efficiency, coordination, and adherence to international standards. This presents a unique opportunity to modernize the criminal justice system and lay a solid foundation for the rule of law.

The DPP's office commissioned a report titled "Proposed Constitutional Amendments, Legislative Basis and Inter-Agency Cooperation with a National Crime Agency," submitted in October 2025 and made public on December 5. The objective is to assess the functioning of the criminal justice system, enhance the independence of institutions, improve coordination among system stakeholders, and modernize the organization of prosecutions and investigations.

Several recommendations from this report focus on the relationships among key legal authorities, the creation of a National Prosecution Service (NPS), and the establishment of a National Crime Agency (NCA) specializing in serious crimes, with improved information sharing from the initial stages of investigations.

This report follows the announcement during the government's program speech in January 2025 that the Financial Crimes Commission Act (FCC Act) would be repealed and replaced by the NCA Act to address ambiguities found in the FCC Act. The DPP, Me Rashid Ahmine, submitted this 67-page report to Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, Deputy Prime Minister Paul Bérenger, and Attorney General Gavin Glover.

According to the DPP, this document serves as an essential tool for the institution to define its short- and long-term objectives, aiming to provide increasingly effective services to citizens. It also highlights several key findings.

The document was drafted by Francesca Del Mese, an international lawyer based in London, with over 25 years of experience in comparative judicial system analysis and strengthening the rule of law in more than 50 countries. She sits at the Crown Court and is a member of the United Kingdom’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which oversees the actions of the UK security services and police forces.