Minutes:
A presentation was given by Detective Inspector Tim Court and Detective Constable Den Butcher from the OCC (Organised Crime Command). It was noted that organised crime costs the UK economy £24 billion per annum. Added to this was the human cost suffered by everyone affected by organised crime in its various forms.
Organised Crime Advisors would be embedded into the new BCU structure to aid in the fight against organised crime locally. They would be tasked with developing the intelligence framework with local officers and partners, and to promote a multi-partnership approach to dealing with organised crime. They would also assist with developing tactical options for disruption. It was hoped that work could be progressed to work on joint initiatives and to jointly address identified issues, as well as developing information sharing between the police and the local authority. Good results had recently been achieved working with trading standards and CID.
The Group was appraised concerning some of the areas where the OCC operated:
· The international importation of firearms and drugs
· Tackling local crime families and gangs
· Modern Slavery
· Child Sexual Exploitation
· Female genital mutilation
· Prostitution
· Racketeering
· Human Trafficking
· Online Sexploitation
The success of Operation Trident was noted. However, as the problem of gangs often had a connection to organised crime, the work of Trident was going to be merged into the work of the OCC.
Mr Court said that the OCC would be interested in helping local teams, and if LBB required assistance in any area, then LBB should just call and ask for help. Mr Court pointed out that in some cases the proceeds of low level crime would be re-invested in other crime areas like drugs. He also referred to the significant costs experienced by the Environment Agency because of fly-tipping.
Mr Court referred to a recent article in the Times relating to Chilean organised crime gangs. The OCC had worked with various partners and international contacts to disrupt the work of these gangs, and thirty six arrests had been made.
Organised Crime was defined as: ‘serious crime, planned and co-ordinated and conducted by people working together on a continuing basis. Their motivation is most often, but not always, financial gain’.
Serious Crime was defined as: ‘crime that involves the use of violence, results in substantial financial gain, or is conducted by a large number of persons in pursuit of a common purpose, or crime for which a person aged 21 or over on first conviction could reasonably expect to be imprisoned for 3 or more years’.
The Executive Director for Environment and Community Services asked how the local authority could work effectively with the OCC. Sharon Baldwin (Chairman of the Safer Neighbourhood Board) asked a similar question, and the response was simply to call the OCC. It was noted that the MET was working on a National Business Communications Hub, but this was a work in progress.
Reference was made to the GLAA (Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority) day of action that had taken place recently whereby action had been taken against six addresses connected to modern slavery. Mr Sibley highlighted MOPAC operations that had taken place with the Border Force recently, and asked if the OCC wanted to know about what had happened. Mr Court said that his team would be interested, but they would not want to get in the way of any local operations.
Mr Sibley asked if street begging was connected to organised crime. Mr Court replied that if the person begging was British, then he/she was probably a drug addict. If the person was of East European origin, then it was possible that they were being exploited.
Mr Vale stated that he would like to meet up with Mr Court and Mr Butcher, and that co-ordination was important. Ms Harding expressed the view that the work against ‘county lines’ was not co-ordinated.
The Group was briefed on how organised crime was committed and concerning specialist roles within the organised crime command structure.
RESOLVED that the Strategic Group look at ways of developing a co-ordinated plan for working with the OCC.