Winter Update 2011
The Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency ( SCDEA) and Strathclyde Police have worked closely with the other Scottish police forces to produce a National Interventions Manual which will help significantly in tackling serious organised crime groups. Located on the Police Information Net for Scotland (PINS), the online manual contains a wide variety of tactical options which can be used against individuals involved in serious organised crime and their business interests and provides substantial support to the delivery of a tiered response to this type of criminality.
As a result of work between SCDEA and Law Society of Scotland, an Information Sharing Protocol has been formally agreed which should make the sharing of information easier in a bid to crack down on corruption in the legal profession. It is hoped this agreement will assist in disrupting and deterring lawyers and other professionals from becoming or reducing potential for acting as professional facilitors.
Baroness Wilcox, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills plus Minister for Intellectual Property officially launched new guidance for businesses titled 'Preventing Infringement of Intellectual Property (IP) Rights in the Workplace'. The guidance was developed by the National IP Crime Group with the help of industry, enforcement and government agencies including the Intellectual Property Crime Group to tackle the problems of IP in the workplace.
As a result of change driven by SCDEA Interventions, Health Facilities Scotland has introduced new conditions that mean construction companies involved in NHS construction projects must only use security firms that are registered with the Security Industry Authority (SIA) Approved Contractor Scheme. The changes will help ensure that any security required for NHS construction projects in Scotland, currently worth up to £400 million, will only go to legitimate businesses, and that taxpayers' money does not end up in the hands of companies that act as a front for serious organised crime.
The Scottish Government procurement Directorate announced in December 2009 that those providing private security services directly or indirectly to the Government must achieve Approved Contractor Status from the SIA. They also issued a guidance note in 2011 that advises Registered Social Landlords (RSL's) and all other recipients of grants for the construction of housing of the requirement that any security contractors employed on projects supported by the Scottish Government must now be registered with the SIA.
The DCI of SCDEA Interventions attended and presented to the US Homeland Security Cyber Piracy Conference held at the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Centre, Arlington, USA. The floor was shared with Senior Supt Michael Kwan from Hong Kong Customs on a theme of international best practice and was delivered to an audience of 150 comprising of senior investigations staff and several large industry partners.
The First Secretary to the Ambassador of Colombia in London recently attended to observe ongoing work by SCDEA Interventions in relation to Shared Responsibility. During this quarter, a variety of activity resulted in the Shared Responsibility model being utilised by more schools as part of curriculum for excellence, and a page length advert was featured within the MOBO programme which has a UK-wide readership of over 350,000 people.
In August the Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill, Solicitor General Lesley Thomson QC and Lothian and Borders Assistant Chief Constable Iain Livingstone launched the 'Made From Crime' initiative in Edinburgh. This was the first campaign of its kind and designed to make full use of the Proceeds of Crime Act by allowing people to report their concerns online, anonymously if they wish, using facebook or via Bluetooth to link directly to the Crimestoppers website.
- £40 Million Drugs Gang Jailed
On 4 October 2011 the High Court in Edinburgh jailed five men for a total of 43 years for their parts in a multi-million pound international drug trafficking operation. All five were convicted of being concerned in the supply of cocaine in Scotland, England and Spain between 2007 and 2009 following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow last month.
- Strathclyde Police Human Trafficking Campaign
Strathclyde Police distrubuted over 10,000 leaflets in a targeted direct mail campaign to increase awareness and intelligence on the issue of human trafficking within Strathclyde. The campaign, "People should never be bought and sold", aimed to raise awareness and educate residents that this crime could be happening in their neighbourhood. It clearly explained, in 7 languages, what human trafficking is, how to spot it and what to do if they suspect it.
- Over £3.1 Million Confiscated After Guilty Pleas to Overfishing
On 16 December 2011 at the High Court in Edinburgh, 17 fishermen who had previously pled guilty to landing undeclared fish between 2002 and 2005 were the subject of confiscation orders for over £3.1 million. This bought the the total recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act in the 2011/12 financial year to £5,318,986.