Since becoming fully operational in the north in 2015, the National Crime Agency has been involved in several well-publicized operations to combat organized crime.
However, despite its high profile, much of its work is shrouded in secrecy, resulting in a refusal to release even the most mundane information to the public.
The culture of silence appears to extend to the good practice policies adopted by the majority of public bodies in our post-conflict society, which has a turbulent past exacerbated by sectarian division.
Policing in the North remains a controversial topic, dominated by debate about justice and community representation.
The RUC was overwhelmingly Protestant which led to the newly formed PSNI running a 50:50 recruiting ratio until 2011, when Catholic representation in the force reached 30%.
Perception is important in this part of the world, but 25 years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, the NCA looks like a glaring outlier when it comes to openness and transparency.
The agency does not provide a classification by religion for its staff based in the North – a legal requirement that most public bodies, including the PSNI, with whom the NCA works closely, adhere to.
The Minister of the Interior also refused to provide surveillance numbers under the pretext of “intelligence and national security.”
It is worth noting that the Home Office also claims to have no information about how many NCA staff were former members of the RUC and PSNI.
The lack of information does not stop there.
The agency even refuses to confirm the number of officers and civilian staff stationed in the north, claiming that for “operational and security reasons” it is unable to “reveal the exact number.”
The crime watchdog also declined to respond directly when asked whether it had allocated a headquarters in the north for staff, saying “officers based in Belfast are not limited to NI activity.”
NCA bosses do not even accept that it employ civilian staff, claiming that “everyone who works for NCA is an officer.”
While the National Counter-Terrorism Agency is heavily involved in various aspects of policing in the north, oversight appears limited.
It currently submits two reports annually to the Police Board, in the presence of its Director General.
However, there is no legal requirement for the Board to monitor the representation of NCA employees.
