1999 EU ORGANISED CRIME SITUATION REPORT
(21786)
File no.2530-58r2
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1999 EU Organised Crime Situation Report — (Open Version).
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| Legal base:
| — |
| |
| Document originated:
| 30 October 2000 |
| Forwarded to the Council:
| 30 October 2000 |
| Deposited in Parliament:
| 16 November 2000 |
| Department: |
Home Office |
| Basis of consideration:
| EM of 17 November 2000
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| Previous Committee Report:
| None; but see (20929) File no.2530-50 rev1; HC 23-x (1999-2000), paragraph 6 (1 March 2000).
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| To be discussed in Council:
| 30 November-1 December 2000
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| Committee's assessment:
| Politically important |
| Committee's decision:
| Cleared; but relevant to any debate covering organised crime
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Background
20.1 This is the latest in a series of annual
reports on organised crime (OC) activity in Europe, compiled by
Europol from contributions by the Member States. It is an open
version of the fuller, classified report which contains more detail
about specific criminal groups. Both are due to be adopted at
the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 30 November-1 December.
The report
20.2 The report comprises an overview of organised
crime activity during 1999, an account of initiatives in
a number of international fora to combat organised crime, and
a list of recommendations. An Appendix contains summaries of the
individual contributions from Member States.
20.3 The report begins with an Executive Summary.
Many of the points it makes are familiar from former years; we
quote below the most significant and those which mark new trends:
"To support their criminal
activities, OC groups tend to employ professionals to an increasing
extent to further their criminal purposes, for instance solicitors
and IT professionals...
"...As in earlier years, illegal immigration,
trafficking in human beings and money laundering seem to be attracting
ever more OC attention. However, the one field of criminal activity
which dominates is still drug production and drug trafficking.
"There is a move away from criminal specialisation
to criminal diversification. This will further diffuse the target
for law enforcement agencies. What specific products are handled
is of little consequence. Profit is the overarching reason for
the involvement in criminal activity. Especially within the field
of counterfeit currency this change could present a problem. No
longer will the targets be persons specialised in off set printing,
but instead virtually anyone who can get access to a colour copier
or an inkjet printer.
"This trend towards diversification is also
visible within the drug field where a growing number of OC groups
become involved in 'poly-drug' trafficking. It no longer seems
appropriate to talk of separate heroin, cocaine and cannabis trafficking
activities. Moreover, there is a tendency towards differentiation
in these smuggling networks where certain groups perform only
a limited part of the whole trafficking operation, such as transportation...
"...The single biggest problem with the efficient
combating of transnational OC crime is jurisdictional limitations.
Crime which by definition is border-less cannot effectively be
fought by law enforcement agencies whose reach stays at their
national borders."
20.4 Among the Recommendations, the following
are particularly worth noting:
"Co-operation between
law enforcement agencies, including customs and justice authorities,
across the EU, but also the rest of Europe, needs to be strengthened,
with a particular focus on jurisdictional problems facing them
in the fight against transnational OC.
"Co-operation with both source and transit countries
outside the EU where commodities exploited by OC are produced
or moved needs to be enhanced...
"...As OC increasingly moves to lower risk/lower
penalty crimes such as alcohol and tobacco smuggling, the emphasis
on combating OC should be toward the criminal organisation rather
than the crime area...
"...In light of the general diffusion of OC
groups concerning both their composition and criminal activities,
the development of a core criminal concept [i.e. the identification
of the most important OC group members] should be undertaken."
The situation in the UK
20.5 Section 8 of the Appendix deals with the
situation in the UK. Under the heading Generic Activity, it
addresses the use of front businesses, corruption of law enforcement
officers, and money laundering. It notes that some of the more
sophisticated money launderers are using specialised areas of
financial markets, and expresses some concern about internet banking
in this connection. The report also notes the use of violence
as an accompaniment to criminal activities, particularly in relation
to non-payment of drug debts.
20.6 Under the heading Organised Crime Groups,
the report states that, although some generalisations still
hold true (such as the import of heroin being largely controlled
by Turks), the tendency for particular ethnic groups to be associated
with particular crimes and commodities is becoming less evident.
In addition, there have been several reports of groups with more
than one ethnicity.
The Government's view
20.7 The Minister of State at the Home Office
(Mrs Barbara Roche) tells us:
"The Government is content
that the UK contributions, to both open and closed versions of
this Report, are correct and there is nothing in the other Member
States' contributions that we would contend [sic]."
20.8 She assures us that a reference to the active
involvement of Europol in one of the Recommendations is not a
proposal that Europol should be given operational powers.
Conclusion
20.9 The body of the report is somewhat repetitive,
although the section on the UK is well-structured. The content
is interesting, especially in the context of current justice and
home affairs developments. It provides an evidence base for initiatives
concerned with mutual recognition and mutual assistance, and actions
against money laundering.
20.10 When we cleared the 1998 Report[51],
we expressed our concern about the growth of organised crime and
the difficulties in controlling it, announced that we would look
for an opportunity to recommend a debate on the issue, and tagged
the Report for such a debate. No such opportunity has yet arisen,
but we still consider the issue to be live. We therefore clear
this document, but tag it, in place of the earlier Report, for
a future debate on serious, organised crime.
51 (20929); see headnote to this paragraph. Back
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