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| Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 2001 |
| Dissolved | 2013 |
| Superseding agency | Police Scotland |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| National agency | Scotland |
| Operations jurisdiction | Scotland |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Paisley |
| Agency executive |
|
TheScottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) was aspecial police force ofScotland responsible for disrupting and dismantling seriousorganised crime groups.
TheScottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA) was established on 1 April 2001, becoming the SCDEA in 2006 and was incorporated intoPolice Scotland on 1 April 2013. ThePolice, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006 put the SDEA on a statutory footing and renamed it as theScottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, funded through theScottish Police Services Authority.[1]
Despite its title, it was formally not a police agency but a police force, whose officers are constables having the same powers as theirterritorial counterparts. It worked alongside other Scottish police forces and was answerable to theScottish Government through theScottish Police Services Authority. The Director of the agency was responsible to Scottish Ministers and theScottish Parliament for financial andadministrative matters. Some functions were shared with theHome OfficeSerious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), but SOCA required permission from the SCDEA or theLord Advocate to conduct certain operations.
AnAct of the Scottish Parliament, thePolice and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, created a single Police Service of Scotland – to be known asPolice Scotland – with effect from 1 April 2013.[citation needed] This merged the eight regional police forces in Scotland, together with the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, into a single service covering the whole of Scotland.[2] Police Scotland has its headquarters at theScottish Police College atTulliallan in Fife.
The SCDEA was headed by a Director General and Deputy Director General, who as members of theAssociation of Chief Police Officers in Scotland formed the core of the Policy Group (the Executive of the SCDEA.)
The SCDEA had created several units and officials responsible for expanding its role in preventing serious crime in Scotland:
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