Kenneth Murray

In an interview with The Herald, Kenneth Murray warned that organised crime groups, at home and abroad, are purchasing legitimate Scottish businesses to use as “safe houses” for dirty money.

He said: “We are lucky in Scotland. We have strong institutions and professions. We have lots of natural strengths. But they will be eroded at a pace that will scare us if we are not awake to this threat.”

Mr Murray said he constantly makes “the case for more forensic accountants”.

He added: “We are coming out of a long and extended period of austerity. Police Scotland budget has been under a lot of pressure for a long time. We have got to do our best within those limitations.

“So we obviously must spend money to improve our cyber capacity but we must also upgrade our financial investigation capacity as well. Otherwise it will be like upgrading your car’s engine without the tires.”