Reports assessing the effectiveness of Scotland’s response to enabling organised crime: FOI release

Information requested

• Any internal advice, briefings, or submissions since January 2024 in which officials warned Ministers about the growing use of cryptocurrencies or digital assets by organised crime groups, including any recommendations made and whether those recommendations were accepted or rejected.
• Any performance data, evaluations, or internal reports assessing the effectiveness of Scotland’s response to cryptocurrency-enabled organised crime, including seizure, freezing, or recovery of digital assets from Jan 2024.
• The total value and number of cryptocurrency or digital asset seizures made in Scotland in each financial year since 2020–21, where the seizure was linked to serious organised crime.

Response

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested in relation to internal advice, briefings, or submissions; and performance data, evaluations, or internal reports in response to the first and second parts of your request.

Scottish Government does not hold information about the total value and number of cryptocurrency or digital asset seizures made in Scotland in each financial year since 2020–21. As such, I hereby provide you with formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

Some of the information you have requested is available online and I have included relevant websites below:

• Scottish Police Authority Quarterly Policing Performance Report – Quarter 1 2024/25 for Policing Performance Committee 18 Sept 2024 - https://www.spa.police.uk/spamedia/5jbcwz1m/item-2-1-quarterly-policing-performance-report-quarter-1-2024-25.pdf
• Scottish Multi-agency Strategic Threat Assessment 2022 Overview - https://www.scotland.police.uk/spa-media/5itlmput/smasta-2022-official-july-2022.pdf

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202600500181 - Information released - Annex

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