This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
New name for drug enforcement agency
26/08/2005
The name of Scotland's drug enforcement body has been changed to Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency to reflect its broad remit in fighting crime.
The change, following consultation earlier this year, is one visible sign of change in a package of measures Scottish Ministers have agreed to strengthen and modernise common services among police forces.
Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson has today confirmed:
Legislation at an early opportunity to establish a new statutory body, the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA). It will be directly responsible for providing a range of common services, including those currently provided by the Scottish Police College, Scottish Criminal Record Office and Scottish Police Information Strategy, as well as developing and providing a new national forensic science service. Ministers plan additional flexibility in the legislation to bring additional support services into the new body at a later date
The SPSA will also be responsible for maintaining the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (formerly the SDEA). SCDEA will have new statutory functions of its own and will be under the direction and control of its own Director. For the first time, there will be provision for police officers to be directly recruited to serve in SCDEA - until now, it has had to depend entirely on officers being seconded from Scottish police forces
Ms Jamieson said:
"Criminal networks extend into every community in Scotland. They are helped by local gangs who think that they can make vast profits on the back of immoral activities like drug dealing and people trafficking - and get away with it. To make sure they can't, we need strong local police forces, backed by excellent co-ordination across organisations, and sharing common services on a national basis where it is effective to do so.
"That's why we are acting to bring added strength and clarity to these central police services. Stronger common services will in the long-term bring benefits in terms of both expertise and efficiency. Strong common services are not a threat to the concept of effective, flexible local policing - they support that principle by allowing local forces to concentrate more of their time on the core business of preventing and detecting crime.
"Ministers have already acted to invest in strengthening our drug enforcement agency. They and Scotland's police forces are having notable success in combating these serious criminals.
"Today's announcement about a new structure, and indeed a more appropriate name, may be technical changes. But they will help the agency to do its job more effectively - for example in the recruitment of key staff - and that has potential benefits for any community facing up to the threat from drugs and organised crime."