NCJ Number
209328
Journal
Nathanson Centre Newsletter Issue: 6 Dated: Winter 2005 Pages: 18-21
Date Published
2005
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article offers an overview of the preeminent international strategies against organized crime.
Abstract
The Director of the Nathanson Centre for the Study of Organized Crime and Corruption offers her interpretation of the most widely used strategies to fight organized criminal activities. First, organized crime remains a difficult concept to define, which holds important implications for legislative policies and policing efforts. The definitional problems emerge from the very nature of organized crime, which lacks any one structure, type, or criminal purpose. Recent law enforcement strategies around the world have focused on putting organized criminal networks out of business by choking their resources. However, the effectiveness of this strategy is in question as organized criminal groups continue to refine their schemes, becoming ever more sophisticated in their attempts to sidestep law enforcement intervention. Another oft-used strategy revolves around the making of law enforcement and governmental partnerships, particularly across jurisdictional lines, in order to share information and coordinate anti-organized crime law enforcement activities. Governments around the world have also realized the importance of recruiting public opinion in the fight against organized crime, which has been difficult given the lack of awareness most ordinary citizens’ display about organized criminal activities. Finally, intelligence-led policing is another strategy receiving a lot of attention of late, although such a strategy is deeply affected by a lack of financial commitment and over-stretched budgets. In closing, the author discusses the Independent Private Sector Inspector General model that has emerged in New York and New Jersey as an alternative policing strategy that has as its goal the elimination of organized crime.