Organized crime is a major problem in most European countries. Still, there is no generally accepted definition of organized crime. In combating organized crime, it is essential to collect and systematically analyze information about organized crime. The development of a precise policy for countering organized crime across national boundaries requires an internationally recognized definition of organized crime. Since there is no common definition of organized crime among European countries, data from the various countries are difficult to compare. There are also differences in judicial systems, in police registration methods, in the recording of criminal offenses, and in police activities. What the countries have in common is an understanding of the characteristics of the ways in which organized criminal groups operate. Thus, the perceived characteristics of organized crime operations in the various countries can be used to develop a future definition of organized crime. Efforts at international cooperation in the search for new strategies and tactics for countering organized crime have not been very fruitful to date. 2 notes
Organized Crime: Can We Unify the Definition? (From Policing in Central and Eastern Europe: Comparing Firsthand Knowledge With Experience From the West, P 323-327, 1996, Milan Pagon, ed. -- See NCJ-170291)
NCJ Number
170320
Date Published
1996
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This paper notes the difficulties of developing a uniform definition of "organized crime" for all member states of the European Union and discusses the consequences this has for international cooperation to counter organized crime.
Abstract