Gang threat and gun crime on increase, claims report
THE threat posed by criminal gangs in Scotland is increasing, according to a new report.
A National Crime Agency (NCA) assessment of the extent of organised crime in Scotland, written in association with Police Scotland, found the number of groups is falling but the threat they pose is rising.
Police are investigating 164 known organised crime groups (OCGs) in Scotland comprising 3282 members, the report states.
The increasing risk posed is partially blamed on “ongoing feuds, violence and firearms incidents” relating to Central Belt crime gangs.
Police warn that despite recent firearms seizures these groups still have ready access to such weapons and some are prepared to use them in public.
The shooting of Euan Johnston in 2016 as he waited in his car at traffic lights in Glasgow was said to have sparked “numerous reported and unreported acts of further violence”.
Last week, David Scott, 33, was jailed for a minimum of 22 years after being found guilty of his murder.
The NCA report states: “There is a current threat and harm presented by feuds and rivalries between six main OCGs operating in the east and west of Scotland.
“The risk is heightened by access to firearms, including automatic weapons.
“Despite recent firearms seizures, it is assessed that the OCGs continue to have ready access to firearms that some may be willing to use within public places.”
The strategic assessment of serious and organised crime for 2018 states two thirds of organised crime gangs in Scotland are involved in drug trafficking.
Liverpool is said to be the primary source of drugs supply to Scotland.
Crime gangs are also involved in human trafficking across Scotland, with sex trafficking said to mainly involve adult women from Romania or Slovakia.
Perpetrators and victims of people trafficking for slave labour also tend to share a country of origin, including Latvia, Vietnam and China.
The report indicates abuse of the Common Travel Area between Loch Ryan and Cairnryan ports in Dumfries and Galloway, with commercial ships said to have been used in relation to human trafficking, immigration abuse and “potential extremist travel”.
Roll on/roll off freight ships are said to have been used to enable illegal immigrants and Class A drugs to get into Scotland.