Summit to tackle cannabis farms

Nearly 80,000 plants have been seized since 2006

A summit focusing on how to tackle Scotland's growing cannabis farming industry has been taking place in Glasgow.

Hosted by Strathclyde police the meeting aimed to highlight ways the police and businesses could work together.

Earlier this year a task force was set-up to target large-scale cannabis growing and serious crime.

Since 2006, 164 cannabis factories have been identified and dismantled.

The summit was held in partnership with the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

It aimed to provide the business community with an insight into how the police and other agencies are working together to tackle the threat posed by serious and organised crime, with specific emphasis on large scale cannabis cultivations and counterfeit goods.

Police also used the summit to highlight the fire risk cannabis cultivations can pose.

We can reduce the threat of such criminality and ensure that it is extremely difficult for the criminals and the cultivations to thrive in Scotland Det Chf Sup Stephen Whitelock Strathclyde Police

Photographs taken after a fire at a factory in an property in Kelvinside in Glasgow were displayed.

They showed extensive damage to a neighbouring flat.

Detective Chief Superintendent Stephen Whitelock of Strathclyde Police said: "Since the implementation of Operation League by Strathclyde Police two years ago we have been successful in identifying and disrupting many of these drug sites. However, we know we still have a lot to do."

"I'm sure that with your help and commitment to work together, we can reduce the threat of such criminality and ensure that it is extremely difficult for the criminals and the cultivations to thrive in Scotland."

The summit was welcomed by Scotland's justice secretary, Kenny MacAskill.

This flat was damaged by a fire in a neighbouring cannabis farm

He said: "This gives an opportunity for the business community to hear how the police and others are tackling serious and organised crime and consider how they can play their part.

"Cannabis remains the most commonly used illegal drug in Scotland and the Scottish Government is determined to work with the police and other law enforcement agencies to break up the gangs involved in cultivating and peddling this drug which causes real harm to our communities."

Ian Main of Scottish Power said: "One of the key component required to operate a cannabis factory is electricity, which is needed in large quantities.

"In our experience, the electricity being used is not recorded through the meter and the supply will be illegally diverted, normally from a separate supply taken from the main incoming supply.

"On top of the substantial losses incurred by Scottish Power, this also carries an inherent safety risk, with fire a real possibility due to the amount of electricity being stolen and without proper protection at the installation."

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