NCJ Number
183909
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 27 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2000 Pages: 68-72
Date Published
May 2000
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the need for countries in the United Nations to cooperate through this organization in addressing the increasing globalization of crime.
Abstract
The most significant change in crime over the last few decades has been that perpetrators commit their crimes through globalized networks that traffick in drugs, firearms, and women and children for prostitution. This has been accompanied by a significant increase in money laundering, the advent of high-tech cybercrimes, and the proliferation of international organized crime. The erosion of political borders and the opening up of economic markets previously closed or highly regulated by state intervention has created an environment ripe for new and expanded forms of criminality that extend across national borders. Hanna Keller, Israel's UN delegate, suggests that by arranging cooperative agreements between countries, law enforcement will be better equipped to cope with crime that spans borders. Cooperative agreements must include the creation of effective networks of technical, legal, and judicial cooperation, or law enforcement will always be one step behind the technologically knowledgeable criminal. Some cooperative efforts are already in place, particularly in the area of cybercrime. A 1997 UN manual urges nations to harmonize laws and cooperate when investigating computer crimes. There should be a particular focus on helping countries to develop the technological knowledge and resources to access all the databases, documentation, and statistics available.