NCJ Number
190304
Date Published
2001
Length
52 pages
Annotation
Australia's National Crime Authority (NCA), which was established in 1984 to coordinate a national effort to combat organized crime in Australia, provides an overview of the current state and the need for concern and response to organized crime in the country.
Abstract
The reach of organized crime in Australia is pervasive, multifaceted, and carries enormous social and economic costs. The cost is not just in direct monetary terms, but rather in terms of lost productivity, health, violence, and well-being. Another cost is the diminution of societal security, both in perception and reality. Organized crime in Australia encompasses a myriad of complex activity that ranges from illicit drug importation, distribution, and manufacture to fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion. It also includes home invasions, armed robberies, extortion, and murder. Organized crime will often use violence and intimidation to censure and discipline its opponents and errant underlings. The illicit drug trade in Australia centers on heroin, cocaine, cannabis, and amphetamine-type substances, including MDMA (ecstasy). The United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention observes that the number of heroin users in Australia is high when compared to Western Europe and North America. Money laundering and fraud are activities conducted not only to legitimize illicit wealth, but also to increase profits. The total figure of crime-related costs is estimated to be equivalent to approximately 4 percent of the gross domestic product per year. The estimated cost of illicit drug abuse to Australia is at least $1.7 billion annually. A convergence of threats is evident; for example, the modus operandi of organized crime is also present in politically motivated violence (terrorist) activities. There is also a convergence of opportunities. The nature and pervasiveness of organized crime requires that the government as a whole, not just law enforcement, must deploy its resources selectively to counter organized crime, together with the support and assistance of the private sector. 75 notes