Organised crime

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Dr Chris Allen spoke to Graham Honey, a former HMCE and HMRC officer who specialised in investigating organised crime, drug trafficking, and money laundering, about the many high-profile operations he was involved in, why so many structural changes in the fight against organised crime have been ineffective, and the main organised crime challenges of the future.

FEATURE: While Operation Global Chain, the major international operation focused on human trafficking, resulted earlier this month in significant successes, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the ongoing challenges facing law enforcement across Europe in tackling a crime which is now reaching record levels in the UK.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime (OC), Policing Insight’s Dr Chris Allen spoke to Philip Matthews, a former senior law enforcement officer with more than 38 years’ experience of tackling drug trafficking, counter-corruption and anti-money laundering, about the missed opportunities to target OC and drug trafficking groups, the likelihood of more OC violence on UK streets, and the need to “control the ground” in drug enforcement operations.

FEATURE: Europol’s latest Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) highlights the rapidly expanding cybercrime threat, and underlines the need for law enforcement agencies to harness technology, push for tighter regulations and work more closely with the private sector in order to deal with that threat, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: While politicians and the media have focused on the political rhetoric of ‘smashing the gangs’ and ‘stopping the boats’ to tackle the continuing problem of cross-Channel illegal immigration, a new round of EU grants – open to police, academics, charities and the private sector in the UK – are on offer for innovative solutions to dismantle and disrupt criminal networks, their ringleaders and enablers behind criminal activities including people and drug trafficking, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime (OC), Policing Insight’s Dr Chris Allen spoke to journalist and author Peter Walsh, whose most recent book is now a major Netflix series, about how he first become focused on organised crime, why capping high-value banknotes could be a key step in tackling OC, and how the kingpin strategy may have led to a rise in drug trafficking.

INTERVIEW: A new organised supply chain crime intelligence desk has been launched by Opal, UK policing’s national intelligence unit for serious organised acquisitive crime, which will develop strategic and tactical intelligence packages for forces to help them tackle the increasingly sophisticated efforts of organised crime groups that divert goods through cybercrime, create ghost companies to steal contracts from businesses, and target warehouses and depots, as Opal Head Jim Taylor told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

ANALYSIS: A new survey of European law enforcement officers by investigative analytics software specialist Cognyte has highlighted gaps in police analytics and skillsets which are limiting agencies’ ability to take effective action, alongside a “widespread” convergence of organised crime and terrorism that is adding to the scale and complexity of threats facing law enforcement, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime (OC), Policing Insight’s Dr Chris Allen spoke to Former West Midlands Police Detective Inspector Dr David Wilson and now West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit lead for modern slavery and organised immigration crime (MSOIC), and a recognised expert in Chinese OC, about the reach of Chinese OC, the growth of state-sponsored crime, and the challenges of policing OC with a 43-force structure.

FEATURE: At INTERPOL’s annual Heads of National Central Bureaux Conference last month, one of the most insightful updates was on the results of Operation Thunder, the operation to intercept and seize illegally traded wildlife and forestry commodities across the global supply chain, and identify, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks involved, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

INTERVIEW: Forces across England and Wales need to give a greater priority to vehicle theft and recognise it as often a key component in organised crime, says Surrey Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Grahame, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on vehicle crime, who spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the growing focus on ports to target the many stolen cars and parts shipped overseas, and the need to collaborate more closely with industry and technology partners.

FEATURE: The latest National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised crime, published by the UK’s National Crime Agency, highlights the potential for conflicts and wider “geopolitical instability” to provide “fertile ground” for exploitation by organised crime groups (OCGs), while the growth in online crime and the impact of overseas OCGs on UK communities and security represent significant threats, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A study into the policing of organised crime in London by Open University Criminologist Dr Sarah Hutton suggests that while “disruption” has become a central metric in UK law enforcements efforts to tackle organised crime, it is a concept that is rarely measured or validated, resulting in a claim rather than proving a demonstrable reduction in criminality, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: The UK is winning the tactical battles but “losing the strategic war” in the fight against serious organised crime (SOC), according to a new report from the Coalition for Global Prosperity, which calls for the introduction of a more coherent strategy that approaches SOC as a national security risk, recognises threats from other states including China, Russia and Iran, and focuses on using existing frameworks to move the fight “upstream”, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Child criminal exploitation has long been recognised in the UK – particularly the county lines model – and is a focus for a number of European countries, but understanding of the issue is limited in Australia; Dr Susan Baidawi, an Associate Professor at Monash University, warns that far from being an emerging problem, such exploitation is already a defining contemporary youth justice issue, and one which urgently requires data collection, multi-agency collaboration, and a response embedded in child protection.

OPINION: As transnational criminal networks grow in complexity and reach, the Australian Border Force is evolving from a traditional customs and immigration agency into a sophisticated intelligence-led law enforcement organisation; the results are already visible, says strategy and reform consultant Kavitha Vipulananda, but the challenges ahead are formidable – and some of the most significant are not operational at all.

INTERVIEW: Following the launch in England and Wales last year of the first phase of the neighbourhood policing programme training modules, a new tranche of training is now providing officers with the skills and knowledge to tackle serious and organised crime (SOC) in local communities; Chief Superintendent Andy Sidebotham, Head of Uniformed Policing at the College of Policing, spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the local impact of SOC, and how the investment in officers will benefit communities.

FEATURE: The latest European Overview of the 2025 Global Organized Crime Index, published by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, recognises Europe’s increasing resilience against organised crime, but highlights the expansion and diversification of organised crime groups (OCGs) as among the key threats, particularly the potential recruitment of young and vulnerable people, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: With both Europol and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime highlighting the threats posed by Eastern European and Balkans organised crime groups (OCGs) expanding further across the continent, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the efforts of the EU (through CEPOL), Europol, and international collaborations involving the UK’s National Crime Agency amongst others, to tackle these ‘High-Risk Criminal Networks’.

INTERVIEW: Wildlife and environmental crime is now estimated to be the fourth largest organised transnational crime sector, with significant overlaps into other forms of organised crime; Professor Phill Cassey, Director of the Wildlife Crime Research Hub at Adelaide University, explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the need for dedicated policing units to tackle the crime, alongside new legislation and tougher penalties for offenders.

OPINION: Australia, like many other countries, has a long history of organised crime, much of which has flourished by exploiting illicit markets; Deakin University Associate Professor Dr James Martin, and University of Sydney Senior Lecturer Dr Edward Jegasothy, argue that the current government reliance on restrictions, penalties and police powers to disrupt supply and “crush” organised crime is actually more likely to drive it, and suggest a better route would be to bring better regulated markets into the open.

INNOVATION: A study of drug violence dynamics on Merseyside has highlighted the importance of understanding the “informal governance mechanisms” employed by organised crime groups (OCGs), and has led to the creation of a ‘co-operation index’ tool which can help police to more effectively target resources and prevent increased violence between OCGs, as researcher Dr Andrea Giovannetti explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

INTERVIEW: New research highlights the gaps in police awareness and understanding of ‘non-fungible tokens’ (NFTs) and their exploitation – particularly by organised crime gangs – in areas such as theft and money laundering; Professors Saskia Hufnagel and Colin King of the University of Sydney Law School spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the fear police are “multiple steps” behind criminals in investigating NFT crimes, the call for better training, and the need for more legal clarity based on case law.

FEATURE: A report capturing key insights, challenges, and priorities identified during a roundtable on intelligence and serious and organised crime (SOC) – featuring officers and intelligence leads from more than 30 UK forces alongside regional organised crime units and overseas partners – is calling for intelligence to be repositioned as the “strategic engine” in the fight against SOC, and sets out steps to build capacity and embed an intelligence-led culture, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.