SNP boasts of low crime – as gangsters run amok on streets
Damning verdict of ex-‘FBI’ chief
‘Happening on their doorstep’
THE former head of the ‘scottish FBI’ has condemned the SNP over its repeated claims that recorded crime is at an historic low.
Former scottish crime and drug enforcement agency director Graeme Pearson said rising gangland violence meant the Nationalists’ assessment of decreasing crime levels could not be trusted.
earlier this week, a report by the National crime agency (Nca) warned of the growing threat from gangsters, amid a rise in deadly feuds.
Mr Pearson, a former assistant chief constable, said there was ‘little doubt criminal figures are playing out power strokes and repaying old debts’.
He added: ‘It would help if the scottish Government finally acknowledged that crime is a real problem affecting working families and their communities.
‘They have spent the past decade insisting crime is at a 40 years-plus low and the country has rid itself of a gang culture. only those who live in privileged circumstances could believe that story.’
Last night, scottish Tory Glasgow MsP annie Wells said: ‘If you said to any of my neigh- bours that there is no gang culture, or that crime is at a record low, they would be cynical – as it’s happening right on their doorstep.
‘It just shows that the sNP has no idea what life is like for ordinary people living in scotland. The sNP has got to acknowledge this problem before they can fix it. so far they haven’t even done that.’
referring to gangland feuds, Mr Pearson said: ‘once these things begin they are difficult to end – other than by high-profile arrests and convictions, together with long-term police activity – or the criminals run out of people to target. The key to dealing with the feud situation in my view is local knowledge and intelligence.
‘ongoing good work by uniformed officers in the area speaking to families, stopping local cars and identifying associations creates the evidence detectives need to prove their cases. often it is local beat officers who make the relationships that break down the “wall of silence” as the families caught up on the margins of these acts of violence are equally frightened and want things to return to normal as soon as possible.
‘Brave detectives willing to put the time and effort into these cases make the difference when it comes to the makeor-break moment leading to successful prosecutions.’
Former Labour MsP Mr Pearson said a ‘much-improved crime intelligence IT system linked to the wider databases operating across the justice system would be helpful’.
and he called for an increased focus on forensic accountants, which he said is ‘exactly the right way forward… and properly actioned can have a devastating impact on criminals and their professional enablers’.
earlier this week, the Nca warned that scotland faces a growing threat from organised crime, with more than 3,000 gangsters and nearly 170 syndicates.
Last month Kenny reilly, 29, became the latest victim of Glasgow’s gang war after being shot in the head by a masked gunman as he sat in the passenger seat of a silver BMW at traffic lights.
amid the growing violence, the Nca has warned that nearly 80 per cent of criminal organisations are now linked to semilegitimate businesses, using them as fronts for their illegal activities.
a scottish Government spokesman said: ‘There must be no respite in tackling organised crime and the harm it causes. Through the serious organised crime Taskforce we will work with communities to identify areas of concern and develop initiatives to tackle and mitigate its impact.’