Heist by Paul Smith

Author:Paul Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Birlinn

9

Scotland’s Unwelcome Tourists

In the dead of night on a remote Highland rail track, a new breed of criminal discovered that Scottish law enforcement is far from toothless. With only the glow of the moon and the glint of flashlights to lift the darkness, the well-honed tracking skills of Northern Constabulary’s police dogs came up trumps as a cross-border raider was brought to justice.

It was in October 2007 that convict John Hind’s busman’s holiday was brought to an unexpected end. The 54-year-old, from Colne in Lancashire, had set out that evening to raid a rural post office – reassured by its far-flung location and encouraging isolation. What the English visitor did not realise was that his every move was being watched by a surveillance team from the local police force. When it did eventually dawn on him that his nocturnal expedition was about to be cut short by the boys in blue, Hind headed for the hills. His escape route took him over rugged terrain as he attempted to shake off the attention of the pursuing officers but, again, the criminal had underestimated his adversaries. When the police dogs were unleashed to track their target, it was game over and brought a mini-crimewave to an end. It also represented a significant achievement for Northern Constabulary, the proud Highlands police force which was consigned to the history books when Police Scotland was introduced as part of a huge streamlining project in 2013.

What Northern Constabulary succeeded in doing during its lifespan was bringing law and order to a patch equivalent in size to Belgium. From the city streets of Inverness to the sprawling expanses of the mainland countryside and from the trunk roads of the central Highlands to the backwaters of the islands, they had it covered.

Hind was later jailed for that evening’s robbery but the conviction represents just the tip of the iceberg for Scottish officers fighting a wave of English criminals sweeping into the country to take advantage of what are perceived as easy targets. And perception is a major factor in fuelling the problem. According to those involved in stemming the tide, there is a growing consensus of opinion among the criminal fraternity south of the border that Scotland is somehow trailing behind their own land when it comes to crime prevention and detection. As a result, all roads lead north for the gangs intent on seeking out fresh hunting grounds and travelling north in numbers to carry out raids on what they view as soft touches in the isolated corners of a country more renowned for its rolling glens and tranquil lochs than organised crime. But those same gangs have been given a stark warning – there is no place to run and no place to hide. With individuals and gangs responsible for crime tours under lock and key after successful prosecutions in the Scottish courts, detectives have vowed to continue their efforts to ward off the threat posed by touring villains they believe are responsible for a series of unsolved robberies that follow a similar pattern to closed cases in recent years.

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