Crime fighting hub turns 10

The world-class crime-fighting hub which enables over 20 agencies to work together under one roof, has helped to dismantle organised crime and seize illegal drugs and firearms for over 10 years.

Key agencies, including the Scottish Government, Police Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the National Crime Agency (NCA) today, Wednesday 14 August 2024, outlined some of the successful work co-ordinated at the £73 million Scottish Government-funded Scottish Crime Campus at Gartcosh, including:

• Operation Escalade - an international and multi-agency operation, which over a number of years saw several men convicted of serious organised crime and drug offences. It also resulted in the conviction of Christopher Hughes, a major figure in Scotland’s serious organised crime network, for the murder of Martin Kok in the Netherlands. Hughes was sentenced to life in jail for the crime.

• Operation Venetic – the operation, which culminated in the takedown of an encrypted communication service used exclusively by criminals, is regarded as one of the most significant ever operations to disrupt serious organised crime in the UK. It resulted in millions of pounds worth of drugs, including cocaine, heroin, cannabis and Etizolam tablets being recovered and has seen hundreds of people arrested and jailed for serious organised crime offences.

• Operation Screenplay – the partnership operation which resulted in the seizure of 3.2 tonnes of cocaine worth £512m in 2015 from a tug boat intercepted 100 miles off the Aberdeen coast, which at the time was the UK’s biggest ever seizure and saw two men jailed for a total of 42 years.

Glasgow is hosting the Interpol General Assembly in November, highlighting that the UK and Scotland are at the forefront of international cooperation in policing.

Justice Secretary and chair of the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce Angela Constance said:

“The Scottish Crime Campus has led to a major change in how organisations share information and develop opportunities to detect and disrupt criminality. I want to thank all the agencies that work effectively together through the Campus that strengthen the fight against international criminals and congratulate them on their successes over the last decade.”

Kenny Donnelly, Deputy Crown Agent for specialist casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said:

“The overarching aim of everyone operating out of the Scottish Crime Campus is to systematically disrupt and dismantle those gangs who profit from serious organised crime by bringing them to justice through the Scottish courts.

“During the first decade of the campus, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has upheld – and will continue to uphold - its unflinching commitment to using all available legal tools to achieve this aim: prosecuting perpetrators, seeking appropriate court orders to protect the public, and taking action to seize and confiscate the proceeds of crime.

“We will do this by maintaining the same unyielding approach to tackling serious organised crime through multi-agency collaboration.”

NCA Deputy Director of Investigations Miles Bonfield said:

“Working closely with our colleagues across law enforcement at the Scottish Crime Campus is an important part of carrying out our mission in protecting the public against serious and organised crime.

“Our ongoing work with Police Scotland, including under our joint Organised Crime Partnership and through our specialist teams, has seen real success in removing criminals from the community and we look forward to continuing this collaboration in our future investigations.”

Police Scotland’s Chief Constable Jo Farrell said:

“A key priority for our single national police service was to enhance and expand how we worked with other agencies to keep the communities of Scotland safe – which requires collaboration at international, UK and regional levels as well as a range of skills and powers which policing alone cannot deliver.

“The Scottish Crime Campus is a world class hub for the joined-up working needed to smash serious organised crime and protect the public and the important outcomes outlined today are evidence of its ongoing success.”

Built at a cost of approximately £73 million on the site of the former steelworks in North Lanarkshire and modelled on the curved shape of a DNA particle, the Scottish Crime was opened in June 2014 by Princess Anne, the Princess Royal.
The building is used by around 1,100 workers and supports the work of the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce (SOCT), which drives activity across four identifiable strands to tackle Serious Organised Crime – Detect, Disrupt, Divert and Deter.
As well as the founding partners, the campus also accommodates “embeds” from a further 16 organisations ranging from the Security Industry Authority to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Read more about Scotland’s approach to tackling serious organised crime, including the Serious Organised Crime Strategy, published in 2022.