Ahead of the Professional Security transport supplement, with the October print edition of the magazine.
Among the signs of how organised, organised crime groups are, there are specialists providing services, often to a range of criminal groups – including transportation, it is claimed.
The overall threat to the UK from organised crime is high, and the costs (including the cost of fighting it) is put at ‘upwards of £20 billion a year’, according to the UK threat assessment, a downloadable document from the Serious Organised Crime Agency. And whether crime groups are trafficking in gems, drugs, counterfeit goods such as cigarettes, or people, they need transport – vehicles, drivers or couriers, and documents. The first, 44-page threat assessment by SOCA – which began work in April – says: “Smugglers go to considerable lengths to minimise the risk that their loads will be detected. They use legitimate goods as cover, both physically, with loads hidden among legitimate goods, or packaged as something innocent, and in terms of the paper trail.” Crime groups seek to defeat entry controls by corrupting dock workers, airline staff, freight handlers or immigration officials. Or, the criminals bypass ports by using beaches or private airstrips. William Hughes, SOCA Diretor General, says: “The profits to be made from serious organised crime ensure that the various activities continue to be attractive, and the overall threat to the UK remains high, and is increasing in scope and complexity. Criminal networks are becoming more fluid, extended and flexible, in part due to the use of specialist ‘service providers’ to assist with money laundering, logistics, documents, and other enablers. Meanwhile, the increased availability of information technology has both facilitated various crimes and spawned new forms of criminal activity. The ready use of corruption, and of violence and intimidation, is an obvious concern, not least because it can undermine confidence in the rule of law.”
