Globalisation and Crime

Question 1

How is the globalisation of crime defined?

Answer 1

As the growing interconnectedness of crime across national borders (transnational organised crime).

Question 2

What are the strengths of increasing globalisation of crime?

Answer 2

• Valuable: focuses on the newest, most dramatic and serious of crimes.
• Has led to more connectedness between law enforcement agencies around the world.

Question 3

What are the weaknesses of increasing globalisation of crime?

Answer 3

• Difficult to investigate due to the secretive and global nature.
• Dependency on secondary sources and reliable statistics aren’t available. Primary research can be dangerous
• Easily exaggerated in terms of impact.

Question 4

What are the different types of global crime?

Answer 4

• Drugs trade
• Human trafficking
• Financial crimes
• Cyber crime
• Transnational organised crime
• Terrorism

Question 5

Explain the drugs trade as a globalised crime.

Answer 5

• Now worth over $300 billion per year.
• Drugs often cultivated in 3rd world countries (Colombia, Peru, Afghanistan) –> attractive trade as requires little investment but demands high prices.

Question 6

Explain human trafficking as a globalised crime.

Answer 6

• Women, children, illegal immigrants, body parts.
• > 2000 body parts trafficked from condemned/executed criminals.
• Women/Children: sex/slavery
• > 500,000 trafficked to Western Europe annually.

Question 7

Explain financial crimes as globalised crime.

Answer 7

• Become easier with relaxing of international banking laws: people can move money between offshore accounts easier.

Question 8

Explain cyber crime as a globalised crime.

Answer 8

• Growth in technology.

- Hacker can be in one country whilst hacking a system in another country.

Question 9

Explain transnational organised crime as a globalised crime.

Answer 9

• Growth in organised crime networks based on economic links.
• McMafia: developed from deregulation of global markets and fall of soviet union.
• Old school mafias began to disperse around the world.

Question 10

Explain terrorism as a globalised crime.

Answer 10

• Technological & communication advancements have made it easier: groups can communicate with members all over the world and cultivate in-state members through online radicalisation.