HM Inspectorate of Constabulary: A Report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary: Scottish Crime Squad 1999

Executive Summary

An inspection of the Scottish Crime Squad was conducted between 10 and 19 May 1999, with the inspection visits being undertaken by Mr Graham Power, the Assistant Inspector of Constabulary assisted by Superintendent Patricia Jenkins. The methodology included data collection, visits by a staff officer, interviews and meetings with staff led by the Assistant Inspector. The Report represents the corporate view of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.

The Inspection found the Scottish Crime Squad to be in good spirits and responding well to positive and progressive leadership. The Squad operates impressively within its present structure, playing a prominent role in combating serious and organised crime in Scotland. The 1996 move to its new headquarters at Osprey House, Paisley has engendered close collaboration with the National Criminal Intelligence Service and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise. This was evidenced in the corporate approach to matters of common interest and in particular the fight against the trade in illegal drugs. The leadership of the Squad are alert to the need to sustain high professional and ethical standards and display vigilance in this respect. There was recognition of the importance of internal inspection and this is expected to play a stronger role in future years.

The full Recommendations arising from the Inspection are contained in Appendix 'A'. The Inspection was conducted along established lines, looking at how the Scottish Crime Squad performed its given role as laid out in its establishing collaboration agreement, entered into by all Scottish forces.

The Inspection identified a number of aspects of the day to day business of the Squad which require to be addressed and the recommendations and suggestions made in this report are designed to contribute to the process of continuous improvement.

These issues can be summarised as:

• the need for a structured system to assess and prioritise potential operations;
• the need for a consistent personnel selection process that will provide the best candidate for each job, irrespective of force of origin, gender or ethnicity;
• a recognition of the benefits of increasing the secondment period for officers;
• more vigorous performance measurement leading to clearer performance management;
• the benefits to be gained from formal tasking and co-ordinating with forces and associated law enforcement agencies;
• the importance of developing a formal Code of Ethics to underpin professional standards; and
• the need to address the uneven distribution of work undertaken by the Scottish Technical Support Unit.

It has however been thirty years since the formation of the Scottish Crime Squad and there are also now a number of wider issues which merit being addressed if the Squad is to continue or indeed expand its national strategic role.

The majority of these issues cannot be addressed by the Scottish Crime Squad alone, as they touch on the fundamental status and accountability mechanisms of the Squad. There is a general acceptance that, with the current review of policing structures in Scotland taking place, the time is now right to consider how centrally provided services, such as the Scottish Crime Squad, can best be delivered. The lack of corporate status can at times blur the lines of professional, financial and employee accountability. HMIC, in this Report, asks the Steering Group undertaking the review of policing structures to consider whether the policing needs of Scotland would be better met by a Scottish Crime Squad under the direct command of a chief officer, accountable to a formally constituted police authority.

The focus for this debate can be summarised as a need:

• for a fresh assessment of the strategic threat to Scotland from serious and organised crime and how that threat can best be combated;
• to consider the funding and financial accountability arrangements of the Scottish Crime Squad, which at present have the potential to create tensions between the 'national' and 'local' role; and
• to consider the status of the Scottish Crime Squad under the existing collaboration agreement and whether this means of operational accountability can continue to deliver strategic direction.

None of the above issues should be allowed to detract from the enthusiasm and zeal with which the Scottish Crime Squad has been managed and served up to the present day. It has an impressive record of targeting and bringing to justice those at the forefront of criminal activity in Scotland and much of its success has been due to the personal commitment and single-mindedness of the police officers and support staff who serve and have served in the Squad over the years. The Report however highlights matters which need to be opened up to debate and addressed if the Scottish Crime Squad is to build upon its solid foundations and meet the challenges of policing Scotland in the 21^st Century.

HM Inspectorate is satisfied that the Scottish Crime Squad is operating efficiently and effectively within its current personnel and financial resources.