Law enforcement officers are involved in a dangerous line of work. There are countless mundane tasks an officer may encounter but policing on the streets can be perilous owing to the sheer amount and variety of crime out there nowadays. This post explores five types of organised crime a law enforcement worker may come across in their career of keeping the peace on the streets.
What is Organised Crime?
When you hear the term organised crime, your mind automatically jumps to an image of the mob. You know the one, gangster-type creations sitting around a table playing poker in a smoky room, concealing weapons of varying degrees, and drinking scotch. This is a romanticised view of the grim reality of crime. There is validity in this imagery in that organised crime does tend to be run by groups of criminals who rank highly in the world of all things illegal. The mafia still has a presence in certain countries, but criminal activity is not exclusively theirs – there are gangs as well that operate entirely separately.
They might rule the roost in a particular area or have rights over certain illicit activity, but the focus on this article is not on the ‘mob’ you might have seen in the movies. The focus here is on the categories of crime that an officer may encounter on the job.
Organised crime for the purposes of this article encompasses all things drug-related, human trafficking, money laundering, illegal weapons, stolen goods and, tied to that, armed robbery.
Drug Cartels
Let us first take a look into the world of drug cartels. Drug cartels are defined as a group of people who control the production and redistribution of illegal substances in a specific area. These are hardened criminals who have created a sordid and terrifying arena of crime, coercion, and conflict. These organisations may be small scale or large scale, and at the larger end of things, a cartel can bring in and use thousands of people. This is a major and ongoing phenomenon that is nearly impossible to control or discover accountability for. For example, over 70,000 people in the USA every year die owing to a narcotic overdose, and this is not a new problem. Drug trafficking dates back decades, and drug-related arrests and imprisonments constitute around 10% of the current incarceration distribution yearly.
With such easy access, is there any real hope of controlling the issue? It takes years of sting operations at a federal level to properly infiltrate and expulse these gangs and cartels. Even then, it is life threatening and harrowing work. Take the Sinaloa Cartel, which found its origins and operates from Mexico. This is one of the biggest, most recognised drug cartels in operation currently. They have been linked to murders, drug distribution and misuse, drug production, and heavy assault, but they are still in operation. Of course, there are always arrests and drug cartel leaders are a common feature of US prisons. However, some major players are still out there running the drug routes and supplying people as young as 12 illegal substances to abuse, get hooked on, and keep coming back for more.
Human Trafficking
Next, we take a look at human trafficking. Human trafficking is the illegal detainment of any person who is then used for modern slavery purposes or sexual engagements. Anyone can be a victim of this type of crime, and it remains a prevalent issue in modern times. So, who most at risk of being taken? Well, this is an open-ended debate as anyone can be targeted. However, there are some groups that are considered to be more at risk than others. These include homeless people, especially young homeless people, illegal immigrants looking for safe passage and border crossing, drug addicts, and looked after children. The common characteristic amongst these types of people is their intense vulnerability, which makes them, unfortunately, an easier target.
This is a cruel world with despicable practices that sometimes entice a victim into the fold with smoke and mirrors. The most frightening part is that anyone can be a human trafficker too. This is not just gang lords or crime bosses, it is friends and family, business owners, respected and prestigious members of communities. It is hard to fight legally because it is everywhere and anywhere like shadows. It is not just trafficking people across the borders, or selling people for sex, trafficking can be committed by a person of trust in the victim’s life. It can also be a slow burning process wherein the victim is essentially groomed and conditioned to certain behaviors and actions.
This past year alone there have been over 10,000 reported suspicions of trafficking in the USA, which can only be a fragment of the true number. There are survivors, but there are also victims. Law enforcement officers have got a big job tackling this particular branch of crime.
Money Laundering
Money laundering is somewhat less grim than our previous discussion. It can be defined as hiding money, where cash came from or the true value of something to avoid tax costs and other penalties. It is a way to keep cash out of the eye of the government, cash that comes from the fruits of crime. This currency is then hidden or manipulated in order to give it a legitimate appearance so that it can be used casually without suspect. Steps of money laundering include placing cash, layering techniques, and extracting cash.
Placement of cash is how everything begins. It is where crime cash is stored, and this can take shape in several ways. Money can be added to the cash flow of an already existing business, it can be stored in a foreign bank account, or it can be covered up with fake invoices and fake transactional data.
This process may be repeated several times, which constitute the layering techniques.
Finally, the extraction process happens. This can look like paying people that don’t actually work for the company in order to save the money for return at a later date and other methods such as this.
Money laundering currently takes up less police time than other organised crime activities. However, it is still a problem for law enforcement. The actual arrests compared to drug cartels and human trafficking are higher with over 90% success rates when it comes to finding and persecuting offenders. This is because money laundering is easier to trace and track despite the sophisticated methods implemented by the perpetrators.
Illicit Goods and Weapons
The redistribution of illicit goods and weapons is an ongoing pandemic. This is a tale as old as time and will happen on a daily basis around the world. This is a fairly self-explanatory section of crime fighting but it is present in communities all the time. It is also tied heavily to armed robbery, which is a felony-level offence. Contraband products being sold under the radar on either the dark web or the black market – it all sounds a bit cliché. However, it is a real and ongoing issue in society that officers deal with all the time. Armed robbery is within the top three crimes committed around the continent and poses a real risk to life and how safe one feels in their own home or local environment. It is also, thankfully, one of the highest arrest rate rankings as well.
How Law Enforcement Can Continue to Learn
As with any profession, there is new knowledge and strategies arising frequently. Law enforcement is no exception to this, and officers can always find ways to learn more, become more qualified, and branch out into different areas of policing. One way to do this is by undertaking an educative commitment such as a course in countering crime strategy, or similar. Humans adapt and evolve and grow and the world of crime adapts, evolves, and grows right alongside them. What worked ten, even five years ago may have no relevance or effective implication in the current timeline. Therefore, in such an important role, there is no point in resisting the constant training. Of course, higher education is not accessible universally. However, if it is a line of interest, there will be a way forward in order to pursue it.
Conclusion
So, is that image of the mafia sitting around playing cards still in your mind? Or, in fact, have your eyes been opened to the real world of illicit activity that occurs on the streets and countries all over the globe? Law enforcement have an abundance of crime to deal with outside of organised activity, but the four points discussed above reign supreme in the world of criminals and illegality. They encompass lots of other smaller offences that equally cannot be overlooked. It is a grueling job with a high-risk factor in terms of loss of life, mental health decline, and traumatic triggers. However, it is also extremely rewarding when organised crime is stopped in its tracks.