New research is being driven at the Institute of Policing, at the University of Staffordshire, to help tackle the national threat and harm from serious and organised crime (SOC).
The evolving nature of criminal enterprise involves an intricate web of criminal networks, where traditional boundaries blur and new threats emerge. Given the ever-evolving landscape of criminal enterprise, new research is bringing together the best national and international research to inform policy and practice opportunities to get policing and partners upstream.
A new research partnership between the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) and the University of Staffordshire is making a valuable contribution to enhancing national capacity and capability to tackle SOC by identifying new research insights to creatively seize the initiative away from criminal entrepreneurs.
OCBs not OCGs
A number of workstreams are forming, and here one of these, developed by a collaborative team comprising Professor John Coxhead (a specialist in criminal ethnography), Professor Robert Smith (a specialist in criminal enterprise research), Dr Michael Harrison (a Fintech and banking specialist) and Dr Chris Allen (a business systems specialist), is all about better understanding SOC as Organised Crime Businesses (OCBs), rather than thinking about these simply as gangs.
This new approach uncovers the vulnerable areas of the criminal ecosystem which can then be targeted, offering new creative ways for prevention, disruption and asset seizure to complement more traditional law enforcement tactics. The research is being promoted by the National Police Chief’s Council SOC portfolio, and offers a practical way to support the national SOC strategy Clear, Hold, Build.
You can read the latest Research Insight Series report here:-
Comments