NCJ Number
192201
Journal
Jane's Intelligence Review Volume: 13 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2001 Pages: 31-33
Date Published
December 2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article examines the United Kingdom's reputation as a favorite location for organized crime, with trends suggesting greater links between indigenous and foreign gangs.
Abstract
Indigenous British organized crime is not considered an international concern. What is worrying about the UK crime scene is the fact that transnational crime groups have displayed a growing interest in penetrating British territory. The United Kingdom is an attractive destination because it provides an environment that includes unique opportunities for the penetration of transnational crime. These include: the market economy; the financial sector; immigrant communities; and terrorist groups. With respect to non-British criminal operations in the United Kingdom, Albanian criminal groups have shown the greatest potential for expansion in the UK criminal market. With a direct interest in the dynamics and operations of the criminal market in the United Kingdom via their involvement in prostitution rings and the heroin trade, Albanian organized crime has attracted priority attention from authorities. The article claims that among events that will likely affect transnational crime in the near future are developments in Afghanistan, continued political instability in the former Yugoslavia, changing dynamics in the Latin American drug trade, and carefully balancing the benefits of joining treaties such as the Schengen Agreement.