Fugitives think that Brexit will mean they’ll be free to roam Europe. I’ve a message for them.. NO DEAL
Top cop’s vow as 30-strong team in final push before red tape increases
Detectives fighting organised crime say they face a pre-Brexit race to catch the country’s most wanted fugitives.
A team of 30 officers has been set up by Police Scotland to boost efforts to trace our most wanted criminals before Britain leaves the European Union.
It is part of a renewed effort to bring suspects to justice by the October 31 leave date, as a leading detective warns international law enforcement will become harder.
Co-operation with international police bodies like Europol in The Hague won’t be as simple and it is expected that bureaucracy will also become more difficult.
Police chiefs fear European Arrest Warrants will become useless when EU membership is scrapped and are stepping up efforts to trace 66 suspects.
The force’s Fugitives Unit is desperate to track down 54 alleged criminals who have left Scotland while linked to serious offences.
The other 12 people have f led their own countries and are hiding in Scotland.
They have been accused of sex abuse, murder, abduction, drug dealing organised crime and rape.
The top target is Derek “Deco” Ferguson, who has been on the run for 12 years and is wanted for the murder of Thomas Cameron, 49, in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow, on June 28, 2007.
Scotland’s biggest organised crime bosses James Gillespie, 46, and Barry Gillespie, 42, and three of their accomplices are also on the wanted list.
The Gillespies are believed to be behind a massive criminal network that stretches from Scotland to South America.
Detective Chief Superintendent Pat Campbell is spearheading the hunt by the Specialist Crime Division from the Scottish Crime Campus in Gartcosh, Lanarkshire.
He said: “As we approach October 31, there is the potential loss of some of our powers that we would normally use to engage with other countries, such as European Arrest Warrants. If we do lose some of the tools available just now we can refer back to the Extradition Act 1957.
“It gives us the power to arrest and hold these individuals and, thereafter, to bring them back to face trial within Scotland.
“However it will be more bureaucratic and we need to go through more court processes.”
He added: “We have based an officer full-time with Interpol in their off ices in Lyon, France, for the first time to smooth the transition after October 31.”
Campbel l ’s responsibi l ities include the Fugitives Unit. He is also in charge of the National Disruptions Unit, which targets people involved in high levels of organised crime.
He said: ” We’re looking to send a message that there’s no hiding place and that we’ll find them and bring them back to Scotland to stand trial sooner rather than later.
“They’re all signi f icant individuals, who have committed serious crime in Scotland but are now hiding in Europe or further afield. There are also victims’ families who are looking for closure and justice.
“In addition, we’re targeting foreign nationals who have committed serious crimes abroad but are hiding in Scotland. We don’t want them to see our country as a soft option where they can hide from justice.” The European Arrest Warrant system allows suspects to be legally held abroad and brought back to Scotland in days.
But it is feared the warrants may be useless after the UK’s relationship with the EU officially ends.
In the past three months, 45 people have been arrested including 32 extradited from Scotland to face allegations of drug trafficking, rape and attempted murder on the continent.
Countr ies include Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. Officers have taken custody of 13 fugitives wanted here. The Fugitives Unit has been working for the past 18 months with the National Crime Agency,
Europol, Interpol, the Drugs Enforcement Agency in the US and a London-based International Crime Co- ordination centre to bring the suspects to justice.
Police believe Ferguson, who is 5ft 2in and has part of his left ear missing, is being supported financially by criminals and has moved between Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Holland and Turkey.
They would also like to quiz him in connection with the murder of Billy Bates, who was a potential witness to Tam’s death.
Bates, 43, was discovered in an oil drum less than a month later.
Campbel l added: “We’re working hard to bring Ferguson to justice for this horrific crime and to bring some closure to the family of Thomas Cameron.
“My team is in regular contact with them to keep them updated on any developments.”
The senior officer says his colleagues are also determined to arrest the Gillespies and key members of their crew.
The siblings from Rutherglen, near Glasgow, are accused of flooding Scotland with cocaine and guns and the abduction and attempted murder of a drug dealer.
Three of their associates – James White, 41, Christopher Hughes, 30, and Jordan Owen, 25 – are being hunted for alleged crimes including drug offences.
Owen is also suspected of murdering dad Jamie Lee, 22, in Castlemilk, Glasgow in July 2017.
Campbel l added: “We’re engaging with law enforcement across Europe and further field to trace these individuals. We’ve links into South and Central America, and Dubai.”
Campbell added: “We won’t let these individuals be a f i le gathering dust on a shelf and will continue to look to bring them to justice.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur MSP said: “Losing access to panEuropean intelligence would be a huge blow to our police force.
“It’s quite clear that Brexit will make our communities less safe and puts up new barriers to cross border co-operation.”
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Brexit, and especially a no-deal exit from the EU, would result in Scotland losing access to many of the security and law enforcement c o - operation measures Police Scotland and the Crown Office use on a daily basis to keep people safe.
“We wou ld a l s o lose membership of Europol, use of the European Arrest Warrant, and access to vital informationsharing arrangements.
“The reality is the UK is not, and cannot be, ready for a no-deal EU exit on October 31. Intensive EU exit preparation is under way.”