Hansard

The Convener SNP

Item 2—the main item of business—is an evidence session on agricultural crime. The committee held a round-table evidence session on the issue in February 201...

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con) Con

At the outset, I will say that the results that seem to have been achieved are hugely encouraging, and I know that they are welcomed by the farming community...

The Solicitor General for Scotland (Lesley Thomson)

At the round-table session and during the review process, a concern came out about serious and organised criminality moving into this area of life. There was...

Margaret Mitchell Con

There seems to be a suggestion that farm equipment is stolen to order and ends up in Poland, Africa and Afghanistan. There must be a trail that can be follow...

The Convener SNP

Before you go on to sewage sludge, can we keep to the money trail and the destination of items stolen to order? Can I get a response on that first? How hard ...

The Solicitor General for Scotland

The police and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service have plenty experience of criminals stealing to order. It is extremely important to ensure that...

Margaret Mitchell Con

As well as the money trail, is there advertising or online activity that can be monitored? Obviously there is a market for such things.

The Solicitor General for Scotland

Do you mean in relation to where the police gather their evidence?

Margaret Mitchell Con

Yes.

The Solicitor General for Scotland

Yes, absolutely. There are a number of tools that are well used by the police and prosecutors for investigating organised criminality. It is important to not...

Margaret Mitchell Con

There is the intimidation aspect too. By definition, farmers who are targeted by agricultural crime tend to be quite isolated and there is evidence that farm...

The Solicitor General for Scotland

That also came out during the review. I agree that people may feel that they live in an isolated area where no one will pay attention if something happens. I...

Margaret Mitchell Con

I imagine that the intelligence gathering, which involved getting all the different people together to report on the disparate aspects, will have a huge adva...

The Convener SNP

Margaret, I know that you want to continue, but I have given you some time. I will let you back in later—-

Margaret Mitchell Con

I have a question on sewage sludge, if I could just—

The Convener SNP

I want to keep you off that just now.

Margaret Mitchell Con

Okay.

The Convener SNP

You can book that question for later. Margaret Mitchell is going to ask about sewage sludge, and nobody else should dare touch that. Laughter. Does Christia...

Christian Allard (North East Scotland) (SNP) SNP

My question is on organised crime.

The Convener SNP

No—I will move on, and bring in Gil Paterson first. You were next anyway, Gil.

Gil Paterson (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) SNP

Solicitor General, we heard in evidence about the very high-tech and expensive equipment that is lying around unprotected—I use that word advisedly. Such equ...

The Solicitor General for Scotland

In addressing all sorts of criminality, it is important to ensure that prevention measures are in place, and the police are leading on that. As a result of t...

The Convener SNP

Sorry to interrupt, Solicitor General. I think that you are talking about the construction and agricultural equipment security and registration scheme—CESAR—...

The Solicitor General for Scotland

There is forensic marking and there is the CESAR scheme. There has also been general training and awareness training for the police in relation to the farmin...

Gil Paterson SNP

I was certainly heartened by your briefing. It explains that point, which is good. It seems that things are moving on and preventative action is being taken....

The Solicitor General for Scotland

All methods of prevention were discussed with SPARC during the review process between the police and the farming community. I do not have information on the ...

Catriona Dalrymple (Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service)

I do not think that anything specific was said about the prohibitive cost of CCTV but there was a recognition that introducing the preventative methods that ...

Gil Paterson SNP

You second-guessed my next question, which was about the insurance benefit that farmers would get from installing CCTV. Thank you very much.

Christian Allard SNP

When we took evidence last year, Dr Robert Smith of the University of the West of Scotland suggested that organisations such as the Mafia were involved in ag...

The Solicitor General for Scotland

As I indicated earlier, concerns were expressed but concerns being expressed about organised criminality is different from cases being reported and definitiv...