Scots Crime Campus to house first major incident support unit

THE Scottish Crime Campus will be home to the UK’s first ever major incident support unit which has been set up in the wake of terror attacks.

Police Scotland said the Major Incident Support Co-Ordination Unit will bring together three critical disciplines. The three disciplines will support all local policing and specialist divisions in the event of a major incident.

They include Disaster Victim Identification (DVI), HOLMES electronic database and The Casualty Bureau.

DVI is the process of recovering and identifying deceased people and human remains in multiple fatality incidents.

HOLMES is is an electronic database used in investigating and managing either major criminal or civil enquiries.

The Casualty Bureau is a function usually associated with an incident involving multiple or mass fatalities and/or a large number of casualties. Sometimes the function is set up in situations which result in no injury, like a severe flooding where there is a large number of survivors or evacuees.

Police Scotland said based on learning and debriefs following last year’s attacks in London and Manchester, the decision was made to coordinate these three key resources more efficiently.

Detective Chief Superintendent Clark Cuzen, who heads up the new unit, said: “This unit will play an integral part in major incidents and has been put in place to provide a better service for police officers, police staff and the public.

“After feedback from last year’s terror attacks, we devised a central department that would provide a single point of contact for police officers and partners.

“Previously there could be difficulties communicating with each other, co-ordinating resources and a lack of understanding of each individual discipline. This unit means there’s a more joined up approach and information can be shared quicker amongst emergency services and to the public.

“We are the first police force in the UK to introduce this unit and I believe this is a positive step towards providing an improved response to any major incident.”

The Major Incident SCU has a dedicated and national co-ordinator for each discipline who will give tactical advice and guidance.

The unit is based at the Scottish Crime Campus in Gartcosh and is an important part of the wider UK major crime support network.