Serious Organised Crime Taskforce: progress report 2024

Foreword

Angela Constance MSP

Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs

Chair, Serious Organised Crime Taskforce

I am delighted to introduce this latest progress report for the year to 31 March 2024 which showcases some of the work undertaken by members of the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce (SOCT) and other partners. This work contributes to the aims of Scotland’s Serious Organised Crime Strategy to have a safer, fairer and more prosperous country free from harm caused by serious organised crime.

Since the publication of the last report in 2023, partners on the SOCT have continued to work together to ensure that organised criminals are detected and disrupted at every turn, that they are deterred from targeting our public, private and third sectors, and that people are diverted from becoming involved in serious organised crime and using its products.

I welcome the activity by Police Scotland and partners taken forward through the work of the Multi Agency Tasking and Delivery Board operating out of the Scottish Crime Campus which has resulted in significant seizures of illicit drugs and arrests across Scotland this year. The work of the Campus is a crucial part of the work of the SOCT to reduce the harm caused by serious organised crime in all its guises.

I would like to thank all organisations involved in the work of the SOCT and all partners who support the aims of our Serious Organised Crime Strategy. We all need to work together to achieve the vision and aims set out in the Strategy.