Advantages and Pitfalls of International Co-operation in Law Enforcement (From International Key Issues in Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice: Papers in Celebration of 25 years of HEUNI, P 108-119, 2006, Kauko Aromaa and Terhi Viljanen, eds. -- See NCJ-219360)

• NCJ Number: 219363
• Author(s): Jon Spencer
• Date Published: 2006
• Length: 12 pages
• Corporate Author: United Nations European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (HEUNI)
• Sale Source: Criminal Justice Press/Willow Tree Press
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: Finland

Annotation

After describing the various forms of law enforcement cooperation among countries of the European Union, this paper identifies issues and dilemmas in international cooperation and concludes with some policy recommendations.

Abstract

The establishment of law enforcement agencies, such as EUROPOL and FRONTEX, that serve the needs of all countries in the European Union (EU) demonstrates the focus on building cooperative agreements between law enforcement agencies within and outside the EU. These agencies facilitate cross-border cooperation in defining crime problems and criminal enterprises that exist across borders. A second focus of cooperation is policy development and in some cases "capacity building," in order to strengthen international responses to crime. This includes harmonizing legal and procedural processes among EU countries. A third area of cooperation concerns the exchange of information and operational cooperation across borders. Although such cooperation is viewed as beneficial and even essential in addressing transnational organized crime, there are associated costs. There are difficulties in defining and prioritizing problems with an international dimension. Countries will differ in their prioritizing of legislative change and their focus on international crime problems compared with domestic crime issues that may be more pressing. This is significant because of the scarcity of personnel and financial resources. There is also a problem of constantly monitoring organizational development in order to ensure that cooperation among countries does not result in an inefficient bureaucracy. This can result in a tendency to circumvent bureaucratic procedures through secretive operations and the protection of information. When international cooperation is established, it is important to define the boundaries of cooperation and include an analysis of the costs and benefits of various types of cooperation for each of the involved parties. 5 references