Specialist Crime Division
Specialist Crime Division is the dedicated command within Police Scotland. It focuses on keeping people safe through work in six key areas:
- Major Crime
- Public Protection
- Local Crime
- Organised Crime & Counter Terrorism
- Intelligence Support
- Specialist Crime Support.
Specialist Crime Division
Specialist Crime Division supports local policing. It helps keep people safe through the provision of access to national specialist investigative and intelligence functions.
It provides equal access for communities to specialist policing.
It is nationally co-ordinated. It is led and delivered locally in communities where threat and harm exists.
It ensures public confidence in the police service. This is done through high quality, best-in-class investigations into serious crime.
It provides a flexible and highly responsive policing service. This is done on a local, national and international scale. It contributes to the objectives of Police Scotland.
Major crime
Major Investigation Teams (MITs) are located throughout Scotland.
They are responsible for leading the investigation of all murder enquiries. They also lead on large-scale and complex criminal investigations.
They are responsible for investigating cases within their own geographic areas of responsibility. Where required they will be able to be deployed anywhere in the country to respond to need and demand.
Public protection
The delivery of public protection arrangements locally, remains the responsibility of Local Police Commanders.
This is done through divisional Detective Superintendents due to the importance of partnerships with other agencies.
They cover issues ranging from offender management and human trafficking to child protection, rape investigation and adult support and protection.
Local crime
This department has responsibility for co-ordinating activity across each of Police Scotland’s 13 divisions through divisional Detective Superintendents who work closely with Local Police Commanders.
Intelligence support
The management of intelligence and information which support national policing operations and local policing is critical to fighting crime.
A national intelligence bureau works with intelligence bureaux located in the East, West and North policing areas.
Organised crime and counter terrorism
Scotland has a combined command for targeting organised crime and dealing with counter terrorism matters.
This is structured in teams located throughout the country which target organised crime groups.
Officers also work on providing a co-ordinated national response to tackle counter terrorism. They work together with Contest who provide the counter terrorism protective security advice to external bodies. They also deliver the Governments counter terrorism policy.
This business area also includes Border Policing Command. They deliver security at all of Scotland’s ports of entry and work alongside partner agencies to protect the national security of the UK.
