NCJ Number
175828
Date Published
1997
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Because recent criminological research in the Netherlands underscores that organized crime is embedded in the country's society and that police emphasis on a crime fighting model and on criminal law is not entirely effective, the police force in Twente has developed a new strategy for policing organized crime in the region.
Abstract
The Twente strategy is based on criminological knowledge and the approach of community policing--preventive, proactive, and integrated actions taken by various partners of the police to reduce the illegal activities of organized crime groups. The strategy has several components, such as organizing the criminal investigation process, scanning the regional environment, gathering information, conducting the criminal investigation, and assessing the development and application of criminal procedures. This strategy, however, can succeed only when two conditions are satisfied: (1) the strategy can only function in an open democratic society in which public and private organizations and the public feel responsible for the emergence of organized crime in their environment; and (2) the police force and its partners must be relatively free of corruption. Empirical research on organized crime in the Netherlands is reviewed that indicates organized crime is the result of a complex process. Underlying assumptions and policy implications of policing organized crime are discussed. 12 references and 1 figure