The Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA) details how criminal groups are more likely than ever to disregard nationality or ethnic divides in choosing modern crime groups increasingly versatile, flexible and dangerous.
Over two-thirds of the 3,600 criminal groups identified in the Threat Assessment were multinational. Groups from Latin America, the former USSR, Afghanistan, Pakistan and North Africa all operate within the EU. The report highlighted two EU nations, Belgium and Portugal, that reported criminal groups operating in their territory that were made up of “more than 60 nationalities of criminals”.
Criminal groups cooperate to offer each other complementary skills, services, and/or goods, and can either encompass joint action or specialization of tasks. Cooperation is most commonly seen in the drug trade, which is driven by a “need to operate beyond territorial boundaries,” the report said.
Criminal networking use of social media tools and the Internet provides a new set of challenges for law enforcement, the report found. Increased connectivity between international groups and the ability to share information in real time allows criminals to stay ahead of authorities more effectively. With increasing criminal connectivity comes a growing threat of inter-group information and skill sharing.
Cooperation and connectivity mean that criminal groups can learn from one another, maximizing efficiency and profit. The growing web of associated groups means that law enforcement will need to be “dynamic, flexible and responsive” if they are to succeed, the report concluded.
