NCJ Number
184339
Date Published
August 2000
Length
54 pages
Annotation
This report assesses the threat to the United Kingdom from serious and organized crime and aims to inform government strategy, priority setting, and senior managers in law enforcement and to aid public understanding and generate debate about the impact of serious and organized crime in and upon the United Kingdom.
Abstract
The analysis of the generic activities of organized crime covers the establishment of front businesses and the criminal infiltration of business, corruption of police, money laundering, and violence. Criminal activities in which organized crime groups are involved include drug trafficking, money laundering, forgery, other forms of theft, tax fraud, vehicle theft, robbery, illegal immigration, arms trading, kidnapping, extortion, prostitution, illegal gambling, and child pornography. Organized crime groups include British Caucasian criminals, groups from the former Soviet Union, motorcycle gangs, Asian groups, West African groups, and many others. The United Kingdom’s Human Rights Act of 1998 incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights and may cause criminals to scrutinize the compliance of investigations with this law as a defense strategy. Other developments that may affect organized crime and efforts to address it include the enlargement of the European Union, increasing use of the Euro as physical currency, civil forfeiture legislation, and the Y2K computer bug. Tables, photographs, and reference notes