Massive changes in the criminal landscape
The Hague, the Netherlands
2 March 2015
A decline of traditional hierarchical criminal groups and networks will be accompanied by the expansion of a virtual criminal underground made up of individual criminal entrepreneurs, who come together on a project basis. These people will lend their knowledge, experience and expertise as part of a 'crime-as-a-service' business model. Such dynamics can already be seen in the realm of cybercrime, but in the future these will extend to the domain of 'traditional' organised crime, governing crime areas such as drugs trafficking, illegal immigration facilitation and counterfeiting of goods.
These are the main trends detailed in Europol's newly-released report 'Exploring tomorrow's organised crime', which identifies a series of key driving factors that will impact the future landscape of serious and organised crime in Europe. The report also looks at how law enforcement authorities might counter and contain organised crime activities over the coming years.
"Organised crime is dynamic and adaptable and law enforcement authorities across the EU are challenged to keep pace with the changing nature of this substantial and significant threat. This report - the first of its kind for Europol - will enable us to look ahead and better allocate resources, plan operational activities and engage with policy- and law-makers to prevent certain types of crimes from emerging" says Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol. [...]
