Developing our Approach to Acquisitive Crime

In a very similar vein to that for retail crime, the overall approach to tackling acquisitive crime has prevention as its foundation. The continued development of the 4P approach across the wider acquisitive crime portfolio will provide increased focus and impetus across the portfolio with the preventions and partnership engagement mapped via a dedicated SPAACE dashboard.

The vast majority of acquisitive crime (even if cross border) is managed by local policing divisions and the ongoing aim is to support them in their delivery of their policing priorities by capturing best practice across Scotland and the UK and providing advice, guidance and toolkits to assist them in achieving the best possible outcomes.

Working with SPAACE partners, there will be meaningful, coordinated engagement at all levels to agree on the introduction and progression of shared action plans aligned to the acquisitive crime priorities ensuring they are monitored, reviewed and measured, with key milestones built in.

As part of this partnership approach, we aim to share information and improve our understanding of the acquisitive crime picture nationwide by enhancing our intelligence and analysis products.

The continued roll out of the DESC project across Scotland will provide increased opportunities to work with partners to report crime and share information more readily and reduce the bureaucracy involved for police officers, thus allowing a proactive perpetrator and preventative focus.

Finally, the continuing evolution of Operation Evolve, will provide increased resilience and support to the front line, allowing more proactive and preventative operations and strategies to be developed by front line officers in local divisions, targeting those high tariff recidivist offenders and organised criminals who are causing the most harm in communities with their criminal activities