Crime Intelligence Division

The Crime Intelligence Division was formed through the amalgamation of Headquarters Crime Division and the Force Intelligence and Information Division. It is located at Force Headquarters, Dundee and the Divisional Commander is Detective Chief Superintendent Gavin Robertson. He is supported by his deputies Detective Superintendent Willie Semple who is responsible for Operations and Policy, Major Crime Support, Public Protection, Criminal Justice and Custody and Temporary Detective Superintendent Alastair Reid who is responsible for the Force Intelligence Bureau, Intelligence Development Unit, Special Branch and Information Services.

Public Protection, Criminal Justice and Custody - DCI Gordon Milne

This area of the Crime Intelligence Division is currently headed by Detective Chief Inspector Gordon Milne, who oversees a wide range of portfolios. 

The main function of the various units in this section is to provide policy and guidance frameworks to allow officers and staff throughout the Force to deliver front-line policing services.

Public Protection – In 2008 Tayside Police introduced Public Protection Units into each of the three Territorial Divisions which are supported by DCI Milne and his staff at Headquarters.  The overarching strategic aim of these units is to protect the most vulnerable in our communities from those who are most likely to cause them harm.  The different strands of public protection include Child Protection, Vulnerable Adult Support, Domestic Abuse, Sex Offender Management and Prostitution. You can find out more about the management of registered sex offenders here.

Criminal Justice – This section of the Division is headed by Detective Sergeant Mark Veal, main responsibilities surround the force partnership working with the various agencies involved in the Criminal Justice System.  This includes the Case Management Unit, which processes all prosecution reports submitted by operational officers prior to submission to the local Procurators Fiscal. 

Custody – This section of the Division has responsibility for the provision of custody facilities throughout the Force area and the various processes and operating procedures which custody suite staff are trained to follow.  On average, Tayside Police handle over 18,000 prisoners annually, many of whom have underlying medical problems, drug and alcohol issues or other vulnerabilities.  In 2009, Tayside Police and NHS Tayside began a unique pilot where nurses work within the three custody suites, helping police officers and staff to provide the best possible levels of care for people who find themselves either temporarily detained by the police or arrested.

Operations and Policy – DCI Graham McMillan

Community Safety - There is a general understanding that prevention is better than cure in policing and these preventative measures come under the general heading of Community Safety. There are Community Safety Departments in each of the Divisions led by an Inspector. They are supported by Detective Inspector Callum Leith who is responsible for this extensive, challenging but valuable area of business at Headquarters. He is also the Force Drugs Co-ordinator.

Major Crime Support - Police Forces are judged on the way they deal with high-profile serious crime. Tayside Police has had to deal with a number of these in the recent past and it is important that the Force is equipped and trained to respond effectively. Detective Inspector Carol Brown leads in this area of business and ensures that the force has sufficient appropriately trained specialists to meet the demands in this difficult and challenging area of business.

Fraud Branch - The investigation of most economic crime within the force is  predominantly investigated at a Divisional level. The large and complex frauds however are normally investigated by the Fraud Branch which consists of staff who have undertaken specialist training and can investigate such complex crime. Officers within the unit regularly support and provide assistance to Divisional enquiry officers. The unit is managed by Detective Sergeant Hobbs .

Major Crime Review - The Major Crime Review Team is led by Detective Inspector Kenny Johnston.  The team is responsible for the review of long term major enquiries which remain unresolved. The work of the team regularly examines these enquiries in relation to new forensic techiniques and other capabilites. ACPOS Guidelines on the review of major crime is followed in relation to the regularity of review and the determination of major crimes to be reviewed.

Prevent – Tayside Police’s Prevent Co-ordinator is Detective Inspector Hazel Robertson who is supported by the Force’s Prevent Community Engagement Officer, DC Kevin O’Donnell. Tayside, like all other areas in the UK faces threats from a minority who seek to harm innocent people, create division, hatred and violence and exploit the shared values of people in Tayside. In Scotland the way of addressing this is by developing the UK’s counter terrorism strategy, CONTEST. It aims to reduce the risk we face from violent extremism , so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence.

Part of the CONTEST strategy is delivered under the heading of 'Prevent', and aims to undermine violent extremist ideologies, disrupt those promoting it, support vulnerable people, increasing our community’s resilience to those messages and addressing grievances.

Tayside Police attempts to reduce the risk to the public through community policing and working with partners in schools, educational institutions, community groups and local authorities and Prevent Officers will carry out the following tasks:

• Continue to raise awareness of the Prevent agenda by promoting and delivering events such as ACT NOW and WRAP (workshop to raise awareness of Prevent) to a wide a range of relevant partners and the Public within Tayside.
• Maintain and promote partners’ interest in Contest Boards.
• Maintain a dialogue with a range of key contacts in the local community. 
• Provide information to, and maintain contact with, local Community Officers.
• Ensure that appropriate information sharing protocols are in place.

Operations – Crime Intelligence Division is also responsible for providing the force Drugs and Surveillance response and Detective Inspector Mike Pirie is in charge of this unit.

Drugs Branch Officers provide Force-wide support in relation to drug related matters and nominated officers provide ‘statements of opinion’ for court purposes in relation to the relevancy of seized items in drugs cases.

The Surveillance Unit is a vital resource in tackling serious and organised crime groups through use of covert policing techniques.

The force Drugs and Surveillance Team in conjunction with partner agencies use intervention methods to disrupt the activities of these serious and organised crime groups.

Effective use of information and intelligence is essential for efficient policing. Tayside Police was the first Force in Scotland to join both information and intelligence functions under the same Division.

Police Intelligence - DCI Ron McNaughton

Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB)

The Force Intelligence Bureau is staffed by police officers and police staff and co-ordinates all intelligence within the Force. FIB staff deal with all areas of intelligence from processing the intelligence through to research, analysis and co-ordinating a police response. They are the link between Tayside Police and all other United Kingdom Police Forces and law enforcement agencies. The FIB assists with promoting the National Intelligence Model to ensure that Tayside Police is intelligence led and provides an analytical and research capability for the Force. A team of analysts within FIB is responsible for the completion of the Force Strategic Assessment which assists with identifying the Force’s strategic priorities.

Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)

FIU staff work closely with all other Tayside Police departments to provide advice and assistance where financial intelligence and/or investigation is required to detect a crime or trace an offender.   

Tayside Police is committed to reducing the harm caused by Serious and Organised Crime and is focussed on using all legal means to Divert, Disrupt, Deter and Detect those involved such criminality. 

There is a real benefit to continue to exploit all avenues to seize assets from criminals in our communities and a highly effective way of disrupting criminals is to take way the profits they make. This can be in assets they have acquired- houses, cars and other goods. Police can also seize cash, over £1000, where we suspect that it is the proceeds of crime or is to be used to commit crime.

Tayside Police, through the work of the FIU, is providing significant opportunities to seize assets from criminals and disrupt and detect Serious and Organised Crime within our communities.

Special Branch

You can find out more about Special Branch by following this link.

Police Information Services- CI Jennifer Thornton

Data Input Bureau (DIB) – The DIB is headed by Mrs Carol Robertson. The DIB is responsible for recording all crimes and offences in accordance with the Scottish Crime Recording Standard and Force Guidelines, on the Tayside Police Corporate Database - UNIFI. In addition, they record information regarding searches carried out by officers and incidents where officers have concerns about the safety of children or vulnerable adults. DIB also create and update on the Criminal History System (CHS) records in relation to custody Standard Prosecution Reports (SPRs) and in terms of Part V of the Police Act 1997 to ensure that where appropriate, early consideration is given to disclosing relevant information as described below.

Data Protection - The Force Data Protection Officer (DPO) is Jane Davies.  The role of the DPO is to ensure, on behalf of the Chief Constable, that Tayside Police meets its responsibilities under the Data Protection Act in relation to all personal data processed by the Force. The role is also responsible for ensuring personal data is dealt with in accordance with the ACPOS Guidance on the Management of Police Information, particularly in relation to information sharing with external agencies and the DPO audits the records of information shared. The DPO is the subject matter expert in relation to Data Protection breaches.

The Data Protection Officer is also responsible for responses to Subject Access Requests where individuals, ‘data subjects’ have a right under Section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998 to be informed of what personal data are being processed in relation to them and the purpose of that processing. 

You can find out more about data protection by following the link to this page.

Disclosure Unit - The unit which is headed by Inspector Donald Scobie is responsible for the administration, research and decision making processes in providing Disclosure Scotland with other relevant information (ORI) for inclusion on Enhanced Disclosure Certificates in terms of Part V of the Police Act 1997 and for consideration under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme. This ensures employers are sighted on relevant information about people applying to work with children and/or vulnerable adults. The unit also deals with the disclosure of information to registered bodies and other interested parties in relation to persons working in Notifiable Occupations and the release of information in the public interest.  

Information Processing Services (IPS) and Data Maintenance Unit (DMU) – These units are headed by Mrs Gill Butter. IPS and DMU staff are responsible for the creation, maintenance and retrieval of computerised records in respect of all matters relating to criminal records and corporate database systems essential to the efficient and effective operation of Tayside Police.

Records Management and Freedom of Information- The Force Records Manager, Claire Sturrock, is responsible for the development, implementation and support of good records management practices. These ensure that information is available when and where it is needed, in an organised and efficient manner, and in a well-maintained environment.  Good records management practices allow fast, accurate and reliable access to records, whilst ensuring the timely destruction of redundant information and the identification and protection of vital business records.

The Management of Police Information (MoPI) Guidance is a driving force behind good records management as it requires that records must be managed properly and consistently in order to ensure that they are adequate, up to date and remain necessary for a policing purpose.  The Records Manager is therefore also responsible for ensuring that the Force meets its obligations under MoPI in relation to the Retention, Review and Disposal of Police information.

The Records Manager also has responsibility for the Freedom of Information (FOI) officers who ensure that the Force meets its obligations in terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

The Force receives hundreds of requests for information every year, each consisting of several questions - almost 2700 in total in 2010. You can find out more about FOI and see the information that we have provided previously here.

Vetting Unit – This unit is headed by the Force Vetting Officer, Martin Buchan. The police community is committed to the maintenance of high levels of honesty and integrity and to the prevention and disruption of dishonest, unethical and unprofessional behaviour. The purpose of vetting is to maintain confidence that members of the police community and those with access to our assets are fit to hold that responsibility.

Information Governance - The Information Governance Officer, Ron Stephen, provides advice to ensure the Force meets its obligations under the terms of the Community Security Policy in the establishment and maintenance of an effective Information Assurance Regime. Information Assurance is a term used to describe the methodology used to make sure that all information assets are protected from compromise, ensuring the three principles Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability of information for those authorised to see it. The Information Governance Officer also has responsibility for the Audit Department which carries out Data Protection audits of the Force systems which process personal data.  These audits check that the quality of the data held by the Force and the accessing of the systems comply with the Data Protection Act.