Pubdate: Wed, 29 Jun 2005
Source: Edinburgh Evening News (UK)
Copyright: 2005 The Scotsman Publications Ltd
Contact:  http://www.edinburghnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1626
Author: Ian Swanson

INTELLIGENCE BOOSTS SCOTLAND'S DRUGS WAR

SCOTLAND'S anti-drugs chief today praised Lothian and Borders detectives for
helping dramatically step up action against smugglers along the east coast.

Graeme Pearson, director of the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency, said an
improved supply of intelligence from Lothian and Borders police has
contributed to an increase in drugs seizures and confiscation of criminals'
assets.

The SDEA's annual report today revealed Class A drugs with a potential
street value of A?22 million were seized last year and A?30m in realisable
assets - like fast cars and luxury homes - were identified and reported to
the appropriate authorities.

And Mr Pearson said close co-operation between the agency and the Lothian
and Borders force had been a crucial factor.

He said Chief Constable Paddy Tomkins had responded to a request for
improvements in intelligence recording, which allowed the SDEA to get a
fuller picture of criminal activities in Scotland.

Mr Pearson said: "Part of the focus of last year is we have increased the
number of operations we have had on the east coast. That is a reflection of
improvements in the intelligence flow from the force and the co-operative
work between us and Lothian and Borders.

"There have been a number of success stories which are different from
previous years and that is a lot to do with a dividend that has occurred
from better working."

In March this year, the SDEA, working with the Lothian and Borders force and
British Transport Police, recovered heroin worth A?500,000 from Waverley
Station in the biggest seizure of its kind in the Capital. A 25-year-old man
was arrested.

Mr Pearson said: "We rely very heavily on police forces around the country
in gathering that intelligence.

"It was one of the issues I raised with Paddy 18 months ago that we would
like to see an improvement in the intelligence flow from Lothian and
Borders.

"And it is to his credit and the credit of the force that we have seen that
dividend."

The SDEA report shows in 2004-5, a total of 357kg of Class A were seized
with a potential street value of A?22m, compared with around A?11m worth of
Class A drugs seized the previous year.

In addition there were 225 people arrested, 84 criminal networks disrupted
and A?30m worth of criminal assets identified, compared with just A?3m worth
of assets in 2003-4.

Mr Pearson said it was impossible to put a figure on how many of the extra
drugs or assets seized were directly attributable to Lothian and Borders
intelligence.

And he said it had not necessarily meant extra resources put into
intelligence gathering.

"Sometimes it is routine and boring and sometimes it is high level
intelligence which perhaps the force don't realise the value of, but when we
look at it with our analysts, it can make all the difference."

Lothian and Borders Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Dickson said the Force's
action against drugs had risen dramatically.

And Mr Dickson said Lothian and Borders was also one of the first forces to
become part of the computerised Scottish Intelligence Database system.

"Our colleagues south of the border don't have anything like it and wish
they had, for example, in relation to the Soham murders, where it was not a
matter of hard facts about criminal convictions, but police intelligence
moving from one part of the country to another. What we have is at least a
structure that promotes that movement."
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