White-Collar and Organised Crime

Question 1

What are the aims of the Coalition reforms? (4)

Answer 1

1. Return confidence to the system
2. Make sure the police consider the public’s priorities
3. Make sure justice is done and seen to be done
4. Reform offenders

Question 2

How is white-collar crime commonly dealt with?

Answer 2

Non-criminally

Question 3

What are the major UK policing bodies? (6)

Answer 3

1. NCA (formerly SOCA)
2. Local police forces
3. Fraud Squads
4. Office of Fair Trading
5. Local Trading Standards
6. HM Revenue and Customs

Question 4

What are the major UK prosecution bodies? (3)

Answer 4

1. CPS (low value, all tax)
2. Serious Fraud Office (high-value non-tax fraud)
3. Financial Conduct Authority (insider dealing, reg. sanctions)

Question 5

What is BIS? OFT? What are there roles?

Answer 5

Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (responsible for UK government policy)
Office of Fair Trading (economic regulator)

Question 6

What are common responses of the NCA? (2)

Answer 6

Financial Reporting Orders (declare what you earn)

Serious Crime Prevention Orders (civil injunction: restrict, disrupt potential for criminality)

Question 7

Who was Terry Adams?

Conrad Black?

Answer 7

Terry Adams: British ‘godfather’. Failed/ misreported income

Conrad Black: prosecuted in US for fraud and obstruction

Question 8

What is the difference between national crime bodies and local police forces?
Who deals with the most crime?

Answer 8

National crime bodies are proactive and local police forces are reactive
Local police forces

Question 9

What does RICO stand for? Define it.

Answer 9

RICO: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (allows leaders to be tried for the crimes they ordered /assisted). Closes previous loophole in law

Question 10

How are the public made aware? (2)

Answer 10

1. Portrayed as ‘bad people’ e.g. Mafia commit crime and use funds for more serious crime
2. ‘Legit’ people have to pay more for services

Question 11

How much is the cost to the UK per year? (Home Office)

Answer 11

£24 billion, 17 homicides

Question 12

What sector has the largest volume of crime? (Identified and hidden)

Answer 12

Identified: Individuals (£9.1 b)
Hidden: Public sector (£19.9 b)

Question 13

What are the 3 forms of serious crime containment?

Answer 13

1. Community approaches
2. Regulatory disruption, non justice-system approaches
3. Private sector involvement

Question 14

How are the private sector involved? (Formally and Informally?

Answer 14

1. Formally: private funding of public units, low-level co-operation
2. Informally: sharing information, staff movement between the 2 sectors: cultural ties, assistance

Question 15

How do the police chose their targets? (2)

Answer 15

1. Round up ‘usual suspects’

2. What are the public bothered by? (populist dimension: e.g. identity theft, being conned)

Question 16

What is the main difference between the US and the UK?

Answer 16

Credible threats (US threaten long sentences, get informants: give lenient sentences if they incriminate acquaintances by wearing a wire)

Question 17

What does the Bank Secrecy Act (1970) require? And how?

Answer 17

Financial institutions in US must assist government agencies to detect and prevent money laundering
Through keeping record of cash purchases (filing a report if more than £10,000 and report suspicious activity)