The Enforcer: 'Interference from civil servants undermined our strategy'

Oct 5 2008

IN my four years in charge of the agency, we recovered more than £125million of illicit drugs, seized firearms and tackled human trafficking.

Unfortunately I was unable to tackle head-on the continual interference from civil servants frustrating the SCDEA's development as a stand-alone agency.

Although positive statements were forthcoming, from all and sundry, the reality was a new oversight arrangement for the agency which was wholly inappropriate.

The agency became a business unit within the SPSA group that included IT, police training, forensic science and corporate services.

Instead of empowering the SCDEA to deliver on serious organised crime, civil servants pursued their desire for a neat administration.

As the 2007 Holyrood election loomed, Scottish politicians were distracted.

In that vacuum, the administrators began delivering what they wanted.

Decisions began to be taken without consulting the SCDEA, forcing changes within the agency which were counter to our strategy.

The lack of candour throughout this period was enormously tiresome.

I knew, from my appearance at the Justice Committee in the Scottish Parliament and from discussions with various MSPs from all parties, there was cross-party support for a powerful and effective Scottish FBI.

What was now being constructed was an additional layer of administration within a costly and old-fashioned structure focused on efficiency savings and rationalisations.

At the same time, the much-vaunted Crime Campus, which had been announced by the Scottish Executive, was slipping from view.

I had first raised the idea of the Crime Campus at the end of 2003 and it received political support early in 2004. Now it was slipping further into the future and I understand it might not be built before 2012. The SCDEA and the pressures under which the staff operated meant that the campus was needed as soon as possible, not in the next decade.

The agency needs to be better located to cope with security and protection of both staff and its systems.

Some administrators disagreed about the need for a new campus and just wanted a redesign of the current offices.

Given that I had fewer than three years left, I decided reluctantly that, in the circumstances, it was time to retire.

I also hoped that by stepping away, which for me was immensely difficult, I would force people to take another look at what was happening and think again.

Major mistakes were being made and, in all conscience, I could not be party to those mistakes.

My continued presence would be taken as a confirmation of the new strategy - an endorsement.

After the election, Kenny MacAskill, whom I had known as an opposition MSP, was appointed as the new Justice Secretary.

In fairness, Mr MacAskill took time to speak with me and to try to persuade me to change my mind.

I was very grateful to him for his effort but, without an imminent change in policy direction, I had to go.

In November 2007, I left the SCDEA for the final time, having being given a rousing send-off by the staff.

I felt many ghosts from my past flirting with me as I left the site that day.

In my heart, I knew I could not continue with the frustrations of dealing with people at the SPSA and the civil service who would not listen and were determined to distract me from the main task.