ircp research projects on measuring organised crime

www.ircp.org Universiteitstraat 4, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium [email protected] T +32 (0)9 264 69 39, F +32 (0)9 264 84 93

Prof. Dr. T. Vander Beken – IRCP research on measuring organised crime - Brussels, 26 January 2004

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IRCP Research Projects on Measuring Organised Crime

Prof. Dr. Tom Vander Beken

EU Forum for the prevention of organised crimeTowards comparable information on crime and

victimisation – an EU wide approachEuropean Commission, Brussels, 26 January 2004



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Overview

1. Collecting, analysing and comparing information of organised crime – state of the art

2. Short and long term priorities

3. IRCP research on measuring organised crime

4. Conclusion



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1. Information on OC- State of the art

Collecting: All MS and Europol collect information on organised crime. Nearly all information is law enforcement information. Definitions for data collection and data collection plans differ from MS to MS.

Analysing: Organised crime information is analysed by all MS and Europol, but in different ways. This makes the national reports very hybrid and the drafting of an EU picture extremely difficult. Very few analytical standards. Mostly traditional crime analysis of criminals and groups. Hardly or not future oriented. No real threat assessment. Few assessments of harm.

Comparing: National data and analysis are very different in nature and quality – comparability?



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2. Short and long term prioritiesRoom/need for additional data collection and analysis at EU-level?

Development of EU-standards (is Crimorg 133 what we want/need?)

Development of methodologies and analysis that are future (threat) oriented

not only collection and analysis of law enforcement data (open source, economical data…)

environmental scanning (impact changes in society on oc)

assessments of the vulnerability of legal sectorsinvolvement of organised crime in illegal markets



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3. IRCP research on measuring organised crime

A. IRCP- Mission

B. IRCP – Methodolology – Belgium

C. IRCP – Methodology – Europe

D. IRCP – Analysis – Belgium and Europe

E. IRCP – Analysis - Europe



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A. IRCP - Mission› The Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy (IRCP) was founded in 1992

as the Research Group Drug Policy, Criminal Policy and International Crime and got its final name in 2002. It is the intention of IRCP, which is integrated in the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology of the Faculty of Law of Ghent University, to conduct and promote internationally relevant scientific research regarding criminal policy issues.

The field of research of IRCP focuses on three main themes: justice and home affairs in the EU, international and comparative criminal law and criminal justice, and Belgian criminal law and criminal justice. More in-depth, the following phenomena are studied: drugs, organised crime and corruption, and trafficking in human beings and sexual exploitation of children.

Typical for the scientific activity developed by IRCP is its pursuit of a synthesis of fundamental and empirical research on the one hand, and policy proposals on the other. The implementation of research in scientific service and consultancy is an essential part of the group's activity.

The research activities are carried out by a coherent group of strongly motivated researchers, reinforced with the professional contribution of external collaborators. An ad hoc multidisciplinary team is composed for most research projects.



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B. IRCP – Methodology - Belgium

1996-1998: Scientific support to the Belgian Parliamentary Enquiry Commission on Organised Crime:

definition of organised crimedata collection and analysisinternational cooperation

1996- : Member of the scientific committee of the Belgian organised crime report

1999: Scientific research for the Organised Crime Unit of the Belgian Federal Police on issues of measurement. Application of risk-assessment methodologies in organised crime analysis

Measuring organised crime in Belgium. A Risk Based methodology (2000)



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C. IRCP - Methodology- Europe (a)

2000: Scientific research for the Belgian Minister of Justice on the development of a new methodology for the Belgian organised crime report. Introduction of a future oriented, risk based four-pillared reporting system: environmental scan (1), oc-group analysis (2), counter measure analysis (3) and market (illegal and legal) analysis (4)

Reporting on organised crime. A Shift from Description to Explanation in the Belgian Annual Report on Organised Crime (2001)

2001: Acceptance of the IRCP-methodology at EU-level

Action Plan to Study Organised Crime at European Level (Council of the European Union, 8 January 2002, Crimorg 133, 14959/01)



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C. IRCP – Methodology - Europe (b)

› Conceptual, model, methodology and outcome (IRCP 2001 and Crimorg 2001)

CONCEPTUAL MODEL METHODOLOGY OUTCOME/ PRODUCT

SOCI ETY PEST Analysis Environmental Scan

Typology of Organisations

I nvolvement Vulnerability

Descriptive Survey

Network Analysis

Market Scan Market Scan

Analysis of Methods

1. Organisation

2. Markets

I llicit Licit

3. Counter Measures

THREAT

HARM

INDICATORS

RI SK ASSESSMENT

ACTI ON PLAN



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C. IRCP – Methodology - Europe (c)

2002-2003: Scientific research for the European Commission on the development of a methodology for measuring organised crime in Europe (IRCP-Transcrime-Swedish Council for Crime Prevention)

› Pilot study in Belgium, Italy, Sweden and the EU: current practices on measurement of oc, discussion on impact/harm oc, organised crime risk index(co-financed under Hippokrates I programme – JAI/2001/HIP/015)

› Feasibility study of a risk-based methodology across the European Union: best practices in other MS on reporting on oc, including analysis, data sources etc.(co-financed under Hippokrates II programme - JAI/2002/HIP/009)

› Measuring Organised Crime in Europe (2004-forthcoming)



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D. IRCP – Analysis – Belgium and Europe

2001-2003: Scientific research for the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office on the vulnerability of legal economic sectors to organised crime with a case study of the diamond sector (IRCP and Antwerp University)

Het meten van de kwetsbaarheid van de legale economische sectoren voor georganiseerde misdaad (2003)

2003-2004: Scientific research for the European Commission on the Measurement and Assessment of Vulnerability of Economic Sectors (MAVUS): development of a methodology and vulnerability of two economic sectors

Financed under the AGIS programme (JAI/2003/AGIS/132)



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E. IRCP – Analysis – Europe

2004-2005: Proposed scientific research for the European Commission on the Measurement and Assessment of Vulnerability of Economic Sectors (MAVUS II): vulnerability study of two more economic sectors, evaluation of the methodology and development of a methodology to scan illegal sectors

2004-2005: Proposed scientific research for the European Commission on the Method and the Assessment of Likely Future Trends in Organised Crime in Europe (OCO): development of a method for environmental scanning, draft of an EU scan and three national scans (Belgium, Sweden and Slovenia)(IRCP – Swedish Council for Crime Prevention – and Slovenian Office for Prevention of Corruption)

application for grants under AGIS programme 2004



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4. Conclusions

Need for development of methodological tools and analysis which are more future (threat) oriented

Not only collection of data derived from law enforcement activity

Open source

environmental scans, (legal and illegal) market analysis (vulnerability studies and studies about involvement)

ircp research projects on measuring organised crime

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