Surveillance threat to crime lords as agency is launched
New UK-wide agency to monitor serious criminals 365 days a year
SCOTLAND’S most notorious gangsters face being subjected to constant surveillance under a new UK-wide crime-fighting agency that launches today.
Drug barons and convicted organised criminals on both sides of the Scottish-English border are to be subjected to 24 hour-a-day lifelong management under the new “super Asbos”, which will include restricting travel, how much money they can carry and who they can meet.
It is among initiatives to come from the newly launched National Crime Agency (NCA), which will see police “mark” the criminals for 365 days of the year.
It will target the 37,000 highlevel gangsters and 5500 crime groups across the UK – including approximately 3500-high level crooks in Scotland – and will work alongside Police Scotland.
One of the agency’s key weapons will be Serious Crime Prevention Orders to restrict serious criminals orchestrating their empires from behind bars or after their release.
These have been available in England and Wales for five years but will now to be introduced by the Scottish Government.
“It’s about not only working on these individuals when they are out and about in communities and on the streets but working equally hard against them when they are incarcerated, because we know that they don’t necessarily stop once they’re behind bars,” said Gordon Meldrum, commander of organised crime for the NCA.
“It is about making greater use of serious organised crime prevention orders.
“My aspiration is that for all the 37,000 organised criminals we would have a named law enforcement officer responsible for them and for monitoring them. In most instances that would be a police officer but in some instances – particularly if that individual is based in Colombia or Spain – that could be an NCA officer.”
Mr Meldrum added: “I want oneto-one marking for organised crime. There will be a named officer who owns that individual 24/7, 365 days of the year. The orders, like a super Asbo, can involve someone having to surrender a passport, only being allowed £200 in their wallet at any one time, and having to tell the police if they open a new bank account.”
The NCA will create the first cyber crime unit for the UK – with some 300 specialists. The agency has a wider remit than its predecessors.
It will tackle the full range of serious and organised crime threats, including drugs trafficking, cyber crime, child exploitation, firearms, human trafficking and economic crime.
Organised criminals will be mapped by forces across the UK from now on to assess the impact of the NCA and local forces.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The introduction of Serious Crime Prevention Orders will give law enforcement agencies another vital tool in their kit.
“The Scottish Government is consulting on their introduction, which we hope will follow a similar format to those in place in England and Wales, in the near future and seek views on how they will operate in Scotland.
“We will remain in dialogue with the UK Government on how we could best introduce legislation around these.”
Assistant Chief Constable Ruaraidh Nicolson said: “Police Scotland is committed to working closely with the National Crime Agency and this will build on the excellent relationship we have enjoyed with the Serious Organised Crime Agency and other partners including Child Exploitation Online Protection and the National Policing Improvement Agency.
“There has been detailed liaison and consultation with Police Scotland in the planning of the NCA including the founding legislation and operating model.”