Criminal exploitation: practitioner guidance

7. Who is perpetrating Criminal Exploitation?

34. The Scottish Multi-Agency Strategic Threat Assessment (2022) indicates that there are currently 97 active, also referred to as “mapped”, serious organised crime groups operating in Scotland. This number will frequently change depending on evolution of new groups as well as successful disruption of existing groups.

35. Most of these groups are involved in the production, procurement, and distribution of controlled drugs, with other activities involving county lines and human trafficking. There are no areas of Scotland immune to the impacts of serious organised crime with groups found in all areas of Scotland.

36. Serious organised crime groups are typically hierarchical and model themselves on business-like structures. Groups are generally made up of individuals with differing skills and abilities, with varying degrees of responsibility. Commonly, those higher up the hierarchy are less detectable, providing a significant challenge in identifying and disrupting those perpetrating harm.

37. Those criminally exploited are more likely to be detected by agencies, specifically law enforcement, as they carry out lower level but higher risk activity. Organised crime groups can create a base in their chosen area, usually by taking over the homes of vulnerable adults. This is often referred to as “cuckooing”. Those who have their homes cuckooed are coerced or manipulated by threats, violence or debt bondage. They will likely have regular contact with perpetrators and may also have friends and family threatened should they try to avoid engagement.

38. It is worth repeating that not all criminal exploitation is linked to serious organised crime. Perpetrators can be individuals who exploit children or adults within their families or communities. The identification of these victims, and the response, should be the same.