NCJ Number
181979
Date Published
1999
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This chapter analyzes the way in which the concept of organized crime has become a nodal point in European law enforcement cooperation.
Abstract
Within nation-states, the challenge of organized crime has intensified the move toward law enforcement enlargement of scale and centralization. This chapter includes descriptions of the restructuring of law enforcement organizations in a number of European Union member states. It also contains some comparative observations regarding the use of special investigative (undercover) methods and accountability procedures that apply to these methods. Among European nation-states, the emphasis on the fight against organized crime has helped to legitimize the creation of a joint police organization and the drafting of joint legal instruments in the context of Justice and Home Affairs cooperation. The chapter notes that in Europe organized crime symbolizes a new "iron curtain" between the poorer "source" countries, where illegitimate goods are mostly produced, and the richer "destination" countries, where illegitimate goods are traded and consumed. While organized crime in Europe functions as a marker in the redefinition of internal and external security concepts, it simultaneously symbolizes a number of weaknesses in the security arrangements, notably the permeability of national borders, the vigor of free trade, and the evolution of the "global village." The prevention of organized crime in Europe must focus on ways in which opportunities for illegal profits in the public and private spheres are reduced. Some examples of such efforts are listed in this chapter. 18 notes and 18 references