Scottish crime campus moves closer

Plans to create a national crime-busting campus in the West of Scotland have moved a step closer.

Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson confirmed that the Executive are in advanced negotiations towards agreeing a land purchase from Scottish Enterprise, and will be formally reserving a site on the Gartcosh Business Interchange for the construction of a crime campus.

The move proposes the co-location of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) and its sister law enforcement agencies – the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The Minister also announced that the forensic services based in the Strathclyde Force area would be moved to the site. A project manager (the consultancy company Cyril Sweett) has now been appointed to take forward the business case for the next phase of the project, paving the way for the campus to be established by 2010.

Ms Jamieson said: “Crime in Scotland is falling – and violent crime is now at its lowest level since devolution – but Scotland faces an ever more sophisticated threat from serious organised crime. To meet that threat we need excellent collaboration between partner agencies, dedicated facilities and state of the art technology. The new campus is the first of its kind and will have three powerful anti-crime agencies working together, purpose built modern facilities for over 700 officers and staff, and state of the art forensic science services on site.

“We are already acting to strengthen the SCDEA by placing it on a statutory footing and giving its director general new powers to directly recruit officers. This will enable the SCDEA – which last year seized over 380Kg of class A drugs worth a record £22.3 million – to step up its work with law enforcement agencies at home and overseas.

“However, in strengthening the SCDEA, we recognise there will also be a need for new premises which meet the organisation’s operational and logistical requirements. That’s where our proposals for the new ‘crime campus’ come together – with clear benefits in terms of joint working and the sharing of expertise, facilities and resources. It will create a world-class response to the threat from worldwide serious and organised crime.

“The creation of the campus will also send out a strong message to international criminal networks that Scotland is not a soft target. A tangible signal that we will take robust, innovative and decisive action to protect our communities from the threat they may pose.”

Graeme Pearson, Director General of the SCDEA said: “I am delighted with the Justice Minister`s announcement today that the Scottish Executive is at an advanced stage in negotiations for the acquisition of land to build a Scottish Crime Campus. The appetite of serious organised criminals to make profit whatever the cost to society shows no signs of diminishing and we must enhance our ability to deal with this threat.

“The Scottish Crime Campus, by bringing together a number of key law enforcement bodies at a single site, will undoubtedly assist our efforts by enabling a more direct and co-ordinated response. I look forward to working with our partners throughout the project to build on past success and ensure that serious organised crime finds it increasingly difficult to profit at the expense of Scotland`s communities and economy.”

Bill Hughes, Director General of SOCA commented: “I am delighted to welcome this new development in tackling serious organised crime in Scotland. SOCA has been created to reduce the harm caused by serious organised crime in the UK. This new facility in Scotland will enable us to work more closely with our colleagues in the SCDEA, the Scottish Police Forces, UKIS and HMRC. We will ensure that we maximise our co-operation in order to impact on serious organised crime in Scotland and across the rest of the UK.”