FEATURE: The latest Africa Organised Crime Index published by the EU-funded ENACT organisation reveals that criminal groups across the continent adapted quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic, while the illicit activities of state actors and the growth in trafficking of both people and cocaine represent major challenges, as Policing Insight’s Chris Allen reports.

SPOTLIGHT ON ORGANISED CRIME: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Dr Amber Phillips, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol, about the mafia, asset confiscation, and the importance of grassroots initiatives when tackling organised crime.

FEATURE: This month a trial began in Belgium of 23 people accused of involvement in the human smuggling ring that led to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in a lorry in the UK in 2019; with such high-profile cases making modern slavery an ever-more visible crime – and the subject of significant government funding – Policing Insight’s Chris Allen takes a closer look at how law enforcement is tackling the issue.

SPOTLIGHT ON ORGANISED CRIME: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Josh Torrance, Lecturer and PhD Researcher at the University of Bristol, about heroin-assisted treatment, NCA technology, and £50bn of missing cash.

FEATURE: The world of organised crime assassinations is – by its very nature – a clandestine one, shrouded in secrecy and extreme violence, but a new report on the issue could help to improve understanding of the scale of the problem, as well as identifying steps for law enforcement to tackle those killers for hire, as Policing Insight’s Chris Allen reports.

SPOTLIGHT ON ORGANISED CRIME: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Dr Ian Stanier, Visiting Lecturer at Buckingham University’s Centre for Security and Intelligence, about the importance of CHIS and HUMINT, expanding the capability and capacity of UK covert investigations, and the FIREPLACES informant motivation model.

ANALYSIS: The latest in a series of reports on cocaine by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has highlighted the various methods of drug production, and how a greater knowledge of the chemical processes required to manufacture street-level cocaine and its derivatives could help governments and law enforcement to tackle the global trade, as Policing Insight’s Chris Allen reports.

SPOTLIGHT ON ORGANISED CRIME: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Dr Jack Spicer, a Criminology Lecturer at the University of the West of England, about county lines, cuckooing, and the importance of police and academics having “the difficult conversations at the start of a project”.

ANALYSIS: A recent report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime highlighted that while success in countering organised crime relies on international co-operation, countries were increasingly turning to national solutions; Policing Insight's Chris Allen looks at the crime-fighting scenarios suggested by the report, and how likely they are to be adopted by countries around the world.

SPOTLIGHT ON ORGANISED CRIME: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Dr James Windle, a Criminology Lecturer at University College Cork, about situational crime prevention, suppressing opium cultivation, and how he sees organised crime and the illegal drugs market evolving over the next decade.

FEATURE: The illegal trafficking of wild animals feeds a major global market, and involves a huge range of species; now a new series of briefings on this illicit trade – starting with a focus on live cheetahs and African Elephant ivory – is highlighting the challenges of tackling animal trafficking as well as how routes and markets have responded to COVID-19, as Policing Insight’s Chris Allen reports.

SPOTLIGHT ON ORGANISED CRIME: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Michael Skidmore, a Senior Researcher at UK policing think tank the Police Foundation, whose numerous research projects include recent work on combatting fraud, and on the effectiveness of law enforcement in tackling online child sexual abuse.

FEATURE: Measuring something as complex and disparate as organised crime has always been a challenge, but a new initiative should drastically improve the ability to gauge the influence and impact of global levels of crime, and resilience to it; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen takes a look at the Global Organised Crime Index.

SPOTLIGHT ON ORGANISED CRIME: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Dr Susanne Knabe-Nicol, Lecturer in Criminology at Middlesex University and owner of PoliceScienceDr.com, about her research, efforts to turn academic findings into practical resources, and the potential of geographic profiling in tackling organised crime.

FEATURE: The latest report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Europol on the global cocaine trade highlights the significant surge in both supply and profits, along with a concerning increase in violence; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the latest trends highlighted by the research, and the implications for efforts to tackle the global drugs market going forwards.

SPOTLIGHT ON ORGANISED CRIME: In the second in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Professor Julian Richards, Director of the Buckingham University Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS) and interim Associate Dean for the University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences, on how his career has developed, his current research and plans for future projects, and the key challenges presented by organised crime moving forwards.

FEATURE: While much of the concerns regarding the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan have focused on human rights, the safety of citizens and threat from extremist militias and terrorist organisations, research has shown that the Taliban – now the Government of Afghanistan – have long been involved in organised criminality; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the ramifications for the UK and the rest of the world.

SPOTLIGHT ON ORGANISED CRIME : In the first in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised criminals, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Dr Anna Sergi, Associate Professor in Criminology at the University of Essex and an expert on the Mafia, on how her career has developed, her current research and plans for future projects, and the key challenges presented by organised crime moving forwards.

FEATURE: Gold has always been an attractive commodity for criminals, because of its high value, relative anonymity and ability to evade banking controls; now a new report has highlighted the organised crime groups – including corrupt state actors – who are controlling the mining, smuggling and trading of this precious metal across Central Africa, as Policing Insight’s Chris Allen reports.

FEATURE: From fake big-name brands to illegal livestock sources and sub-standard products that are a danger to public health, the illicit food and alcohol industry is big business that attracts organised crime; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the latest efforts from Europol and Interpol to tackle the problem, as well as the UK’s response.

ANALYSIS: The latest UN World Drug Report has highlighted how organised crime groups adapted to the impact of COVID-19 on drug trafficking, and the continuing growth of the dark web marketplace for narcotics; in this second of two articles focusing on the report, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the changes in the production, transportation and sale of the world’s most popular illegal drugs, with a focus on cocaine and methamphetamine.

ANALYSIS: The latest UN World Drug Report has highlighted that while the COVID-19 pandemic briefly interrupted the international drug trade, organised crime groups soon adapted to the new conditions, and the dark web continued to be a key marketplace for narcotics; in the first of two articles focusing on the report, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the expansion of the dark web, and the key drug trafficking trends.

FEATURE: Organised crime groups have a long history of infiltrating the legitimate transport industry to move illicit goods and ‘commodities’ around the globe; now a new report has highlighted how those criminal networks are increasingly targeting the tow-truck sector as cover for their illegal activities, as Policing Insight's Chris Allen explains.

FEATURE: While COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns significantly impacted on criminal activity in many areas, the latest Europol report confirms that migrant smuggling and human trafficking quickly adapted to a new normal; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the scale of the problem, efforts to target smuggling and trafficking operations, and the trade-off between the right to privacy and the criminal exploitation of encrypted communications channels.