The impact of organised crime in local communities

Since 2014 the Perpetuity Research and the Police Foundation have been researching the impact of serious organised crime in communities and how this threat is tackled locally in a study supported by the Dawes Trust.

 

The report published today, reveals some striking findings.

• From a sample of frauds committed in two police force areas, between 31% and 45% of all frauds occurring locally are linked to Organised Crime Groups (OCGs). This is at least twice as much as previous Government estimates.
• On average, individual victims of organised fraud lose over £10,000 per fraud offence compared with victims of non-organised frauds, who lose on average £4,000.
• OCGs involved in fraud often operate outside the UK and the response from law enforcement agencies is ineffective.
• In a single city, 65 brothels (linked to 74 offenders) were identified over a 2-year period. More than three quarters (77%) displayed links to organised crime groups
• In 29% of brothels there was evidence that sex workers’ movements had been controlled
• No single agency took ownership of the problem of exploitation in the off-street sex market and there was very little proactive engagement with vulnerable sex workers

• Police proactive work on organised crime focuses heavily on drug

dealing and insufficiently on crimes such as fraud, human trafficking

and child sexual exploitation

 

Professor Martin Gill of Perpetuity Research who co-managed the research said:

The findings are striking. They suggest that organised crime is more prolific than many had estimated and the harms more serious than we thought. Yet the policing response often falls between stalls. In our preoccupation with terrorism and cyber crime, important those they are, we must not lose focus on a range of other offence types.

 

A copy of the report can be downloaded here.

 

Martin Gill can be contacted on: m.gill@perpetuityresearch.com; 0774 028 4286

 

Or the Director of the Police Foundation Dr Rick Muir on: Rick Muir Rick.Muir@police-foundation.org.uk; 07875 546155

 

Perpetuity Research specialises in crime and security started life as a spin-out from the University of Leicester. It specialises in crime and risk research and advice. www.perpetuityresearch.com.