The National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) was a United Kingdom policing agency. Following the Police and Criminal Justice Act 2001, NCIS returned to direct funding by the Home Office in 2002 and was a non-departmental public body. On 1 April 2006 it was merged into the newly created Serious Organised Crime Agency. The unit was established in April 1992, previously known as the National Drugs Intelligence Unit. Organised according to the Police Act 1997, the functions of NCIS were to gather intelligence data and analysed this information to provide the necessary insight and intelligence to national police forces. The act also empowered the service with rights to perform surveillance operations.