Crime for encryption in Scotland, an increase of 2000 % since 2019; There is no dedicated police unit yet
Scotland has recorded an amazing increase of 2000 percent in crimes related to cryptocurrencies since 2019, according to the latest in 2025 for the police in Scotland. The annual report.
The size of this increase reflects the increasing role of the digital assets that it now plays in organized crime and fraud.
While tools have been adopted to track illegal encryption flows, Scotland is still behind the other judicial states in the UK in terms of specialized response, with no unitary encryption crime unit yet.
The authorities say that organized crime groups adapt quickly, using encryption to hide transactions and returns from illegal activity.
Crime crimes of 2000 %
The 2000 percent increase in crime associated with encryption may be fed by the most dangerous and organized crime groups that adopt digital assets.
The Scotland police report says that these groups are “fast to adapt and use new methods to help disturb their activities”, with the coded currency now a common empowerment factor for fraud and money laundering.
The report does not specify the number of cases that make up the increase of 2000 %, but the shift was sufficiently exciting to report the case prominently.
However, the Scotland police have not yet formed a specialized encryption crime unit to match the growing demand.
The report confirms that “the development of abroad capacity is progressing”, but there is no currently dedicated team.
New tracking tools have been added
Although there was no encryption team, the Scottish police have implemented two new tools for tracking and tracking digital assets.
According to what was reported, these tools agree on the capabilities of the investigation “with many of the United Kingdom and the leadership of international law enforcement.”
However, officers continue to rely heavily on electronic crime units and broader digital forensic experience.
Scotland Police is a member of the National Working Group for Crusher, which focuses on designing the “training path to include expert witnesses”, and improving institutional knowledge about the investigations related to encryption.
The report stresses that although technical tools are now available, the most powerful structures and coordination of the cross team are still under development.
The court turns bitcoin into criticism
In 2024, the Supreme Court in Edinburgh defined a major legal precedent for how to address encrypted currency assets under crime legislation.
In a case linked to the violent criminal activity in Lanquachire, the general prosecutors succeeded in converting 23.5 Bitcoin to 109,601 pounds.
The digital currency of John Ross Rene, described in the court documents as “artistic minds”, has been linked to a violent robbery.
The court’s approval to convert the seized bitcoin into criticism of a critical step in adding the official nature to how to recover and reuse digital assets under the application of the Scottish law.
The case is one of the first cases in Scotland, where stolen encryption has been converted into a useless FIAT currency through the judicial system, highlighting a new legal path for future asset seizures that involve digital symbols.
Online fraud unit proposed
Police Scotland proposes a new leadership unit for cyber and fraud aimed at updating its approach to the crime of encryption.
The goal is to restructure roles and responsibilities internally, allowing officers to deal with encrypted currency crimes with a more specialized and simplified system.
This would bring Scotland with the judicial states such as England and Wales, which already has encryption difference within the application of the law.
Suggested leadership can also improve strategic coordination through economic crime departments and address training gaps that are highlighted in the report.
The authorities suggest that with the increased dependence of the cryptocurrency in both legitimate and criminal contexts, the future success of the force depends on integrating the experience of encryption at each level of investigation.
Crime associated with encryption in Scotland, an increase of 2000 % since 2019; There is no dedicated police unit yet first appeared on Invezz
