Tackling threat, harm and risk

Significant court outcomes following police investigations

On Friday, 19 July, Dylan Brister, 27, and Cameron Allan, 20, were found guilty of the rape and murder of Calum Simpson, a 24-year-old man, whose body was discovered within a property on Herriot Crescent in Methil on 3 November, 2021. Both offenders will be sentenced later and my thoughts remain with Calum's family and loved ones.
On Tuesday, 9 July, Ian Heddle, 61, was sentenced to four years in prison for the sexual assault of a child and possession of indecent images of children. He has also been placed on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period of time. Heddle, who lived in Thailand, was arrested and charged in Scotland following work with the National Crime Agency who liaised with the Royal Thai Police.
On Monday, 15 July, James Kelly, 43, was jailed for 10 years after being convicted of a series of violent and sexual crimes against women in the Edinburgh area.
On Friday, 19 July Alastair Nicolson, 55 was sentenced to 14 years in prison for violent and sexual offences against three woman and a child between January 1991 and April 2001 in the Highland and Argyll and Bute areas.
On Monday, 5 August, Tom Farquhar, 28, was convicted of drugs offences after around £1.5 million worth of cocaine was seized in Tayside. Farquhar was stopped on the A90 northbound near Dundee on Monday, 1 September, 2023, as part of an investigation led by Police Scotland's Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit.
On Tuesday, 6 August, two men were sentenced having been convicted of drugs offences in Tayside following the recovery of drugs worth an estimated £945,000 during intelligence led raids in Monifieth and Dundee in September last year. Brandon Hayter, 24, was sentenced to 46 months in prison and David Henehan, 44, was given a 300 hours Community Payback Order.
Drugs recoveries

In July we updated that officers protected our communities by removing more than £22 million worth of illegal substances including heroin, cocaine and cannabis from Scotland’s streets so far this year as part of our commitment to tackling the harm caused by the supply of illegal substances.
Significant seizures across the country from intelligence led operations or car stops include:
• A 44-year-old man was arrested and charged as part of a County Lines operation in Aberdeenshire and Merseyside in June. The arrest followed searches at five properties across Aberdeen, Liverpool and Tarves, Aberdeenshire, on Tuesday, 25 June, 2024. Heroin with an estimated street value of around £9,000 and approximately £15,000 cash was recovered over the course of the joint investigation. This investigation underlines our commitment to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country's Serious Organised Crime Strategy.
• On Thursday, 27 June, drugs with a potential street value of £240,000 were recovered from a property in the Kirkhill Road area of Aberdeen. Officers from the Community Investigation Unit executed a warrant and recovered a quantity of cannabis plants. A 24-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with drug offences.
• Police Dog Zoe assisted an operation on Orkney on Saturday, 13 July, where a quantity of drugs with an estimated street value of £3,000, and a four-figure sum of cash were recovered. A 19-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with drugs offences.
• A man and a woman were arrested and charged after drugs, with an estimated street value of £250,000, were seized in Dundee on Wednesday, 17 July, 2024, and recovered quantities of heroin and cocaine.
• Cannabis plants with an estimated street value of up to £373,000 were discovered following a search in Thankerton, South Lanarkshire on Tuesday, 16 July, 2024.
• Cocaine worth an estimated £210,000 was recovered after the search of a car in Glasgow on Friday, 2 August and recovered the drugs. A 27-year-old man has been arrested and charged.
Response Policing Week of Action 2024 round-up

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Response Policing Week of Action took place between 24 and 30 June as UK police forces celebrated and highlighted the work of response officers.
Just some of the examples highlighted included the arrest of a man who tried to rob an elderly woman in Falkirk; officers in South Lanarkshire who traced a man reported to have made inappropriate remarks to a schoolgirl; the arrest of drug dealer wanted on warrant; and life-saving intervention during mental health crisis.
During the week senior officers met response officers to express our deep gratitude for their work, which we know is ongoing throughout the year.