Biggar led the NCA, which fights serious and organized crime, on an interim basis from October 2021, and will now take up the job on a permanent basis, Home Secretary Priti Patel announced. It will focus on “hunting down ruthless cyber criminals and dismantling serious and organized crime groups that traffic drugs and illegal firearms and take advantage of vulnerable people”, the Home Office said. During his tenure as interim chief, Biggar had “led the UK’s steadfast response to cracking down on kleptocracy and illicit finance, as well as abhorrent child sexual abuse”, the ministry added. Patel said: “Gangs and the violence of serious and organized crime bring misery to our streets. As well as exploiting children and the vulnerable, this crime also costs our economy more than £37 billion a year. “Going after criminals who profit from human misery, abuse our children and citizens and show no respect for our borders and laws is what Graeme and I continue to drive.” Biggar was appointed to the £223,000-a-year NCA post for a five-year term following what was described as “a fair and open recruitment process”. He leads around 6,000 officers based in the UK and abroad. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The job was announced after a reported attempt by Downing Street to poach Bernard Hogan-Howe to the post failed when the former Metropolitan Police chief pulled out amid a bitter row. No 10 had restarted the selection process earlier this year after a panel of experts failed to select Lord Hogan-Howe, who became a staunch supporter of Boris Johnson after he left the Met in 2017. The job was re-advertised and several sources said that Hogan-Howe decided not to reapply. A panel had ruled that Biggar and Neil Basu, the former counter-terrorism chief, were “designates” but Hogan-Howe was not, a finding that surprised many in policing. While Downing Street has no official role in filling the post, Whitehall sources have confirmed that it intervened in the initial process. Basu was reportedly so incensed by the corruption of the process that he decided not to reapply. Biggar said of his appointment: “Serious and organized crime is chronic, corrosive and complex. The people and teams behind it are global in scope, technically sophisticated and digitally enabled. “In response, the agency must focus upwards, overseas and online – while continuing to work systematically with our partners to target criminals, bring them to justice and reduce the harm they cause.”
