SOUTH Ayrshire's top cop has placed fraud, drug, and sexual offences high on his target list of crimes to tackle as he outlined his policing priorities after a year at a new HQ.
Area commander, Inspector Stuart Dougan, spoke exclusively to the Advertiser and revealed that his officers have been tasked with disrupting local serious organised crime networks, as well as the supply of illegal substances in the region.
In a sit-down chat weeks after two men admitted responsibility for a massive cannabis farm discovered on Green Street, just yards away from Police Scotland's Newton House base in Ayr which opened last year, Inspector Dougan said stopping the sale of narcotics remains a key focus for his team.
He said: "The drug landscape changes constantly, and that is down to a number of factors. Our aim is to have intelligence and that goes back to drug supply.
"We're really keen to know what's harmful, what's going about, and to go about targeting it and the individuals bringing it into the community - the ones distributing it are the ones that we want to know about.
"Crack [cocaine] might be one week but our intelligence about that is constant and we're always keen to hear from partners.
"There's been Albanian individuals as you know, there's obviously a demand for cannabis, that's clear. We're keen to look at any derelict buildings and neighbourhoods, because they are sophisticated at what they do.
"I'm not a public health expert but the bottom line is it [cannabis] is a class B drug and we have to target it.
"There's a human trafficking and welfare element too, and extremely vulnerable people within that chain. It's a big thing for us to get that intelligence from the community."
Altin Laskaj, 30, and Kristjan Begu, 33, both pleaded guilty last month to producing and being concerned in the supply of cannabis from the Green Street cultivation, which had a potential street value of hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Albanian nationalsIt was raided earlier this year, while last week police confirmed that around £280k worth of the drug had been found at a premises on the town's High Street.
We also reported last month on 'despicable' fraudster Derek Moore who was jailed for more than 13 years after duping a Dundonald pensioner out of £50k.
His partner in crime, Julie McQuade, was also locked up for her role in the cruel Scotland-wide scam.
Inspector Dougan said: "There's been a massive increase in fraud, especially with the older demographic, mums and dads are getting emails too good to be true and there needs to be intervention to prevent someone becoming a victim."
READ MORE: Parents accused of killing ill toddler acquitted after two-week trial
In a plea for people to continue reporting incidents and crimes, he added: "We can only deal with what we know about and always encourage people to report matters through 101, coming into the police office or contacting via email online.
"Sexual crime as well, which is still under reported, we're really keen that anyone who has gone through and survived that reports it. We're getting a lot of people who didn't want to report that back in the day but now we've got specialist departments.
"Supporting victims is a big thing, we want to hear people have their say and we have a police survey online, so tell us about our service and we can address that.
"We're keen to hear from people. I want to work on the accessibility of police in South Ayrshire."
The inspector added: "Violence is a big thing and [serious assault] is not acceptable. There is no place for violence in the community.
"We have organised crime groups which is a big focus for us, ultimately it's about how we can break the network, disrupt and, if they have links to legitimate business, look at where the money's going.
"We've got a lot going for us [in Ayrshire] so it's a matter of making sure communities are served in the right way."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here