More than £2million has been paid out by police to informants in the last six years in the battle against organised crime, the Sunday Mail can reveal.
The money was given to what officers call Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) – a term made popular by hit TV show Line Of Duty, starring Greenock-born Martin Compston.
A large chunk of the cash was used investigating the violent feud between the Lyons and Daniel families, codenamed Operation Engagement.
It led to six Lyons associates being jailed for 104 years in April 2019 over five attempted murders, including a horrific machete attack on Steven Daniel, nephew of the late crime baron Jamie Daniel.
Informants were used by officers investigating another organised crime offensive, Operation Escalade. Nine gang members were locked up for a total of 87 years at the High Court in Glasgow in 2018.
Latest figures for 2020 show £261,357 was paid to CHIS. The sum was down slightly on previous years due to the Covid crisis, which saw a drop in crime.
Payments worth £343,327 were made in 2019, £357,484 the year before, £355,585 in 2017, £384,151 in 2016 and £318,369 in 2015 – a total of £2,020,273.
Former head of the Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency Graeme Pearson said they are a vital tool in the fight against crime.
He added: “The use of informants has been in place since the beginning of the police service.
“They are invaluable in showing how crime is working and who the key players are.
“Informants are able to say precisely when something is going down and give police an opportunity to intercede. They also serve as a means of undermining organised crime.
"It means those further up the chain are never confident their organisation is secure.”
It’s thought police will use informants to identify potential troublemakers at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.
Payments typically range from two-figure sums for low-profile cases to several thousand pounds where organised crime is involved.
Chief Superintendent Richard Ness said: “The use of CHIS is a successful, highly regulated and independently scrutinised tactic which supports officers to keep people safe.”
