Since 2014 the Police Foundation and Perpetuity Research have
been researching the impact of serious organised crime in
communities and how this threat is tackled locally for a study
supported by the Dawes Trust. The report published today, reveals
some striking findings.
· From a sample of frauds committed in two police force areas,
between 31% and 45% of all frauds occurring locally are linked to
organised crime groups (OCGs). This is at least twice as much as
previous government estimates.
· On average, individual victims of organised fraud lose over
£10,000 per fraud offence compared with victims of non-organised
frauds, who lose on average £4,000.
· OCGs involved in fraud often operate outside the UK and the
response from law enforcement agencies is ineffective.
· In a single city, 65 brothels (linked to 74 offenders) were
identified over a two year period. More than three quarters (77%)
displayed links to organised crime groups. In 29% of brothels
there was evidence that sex workers' movements had been
controlled.
· No single agency took ownership of the problem of exploitation
in the off-street sex market and there was very little proactive
engagement with vulnerable sex workers.
. Police proactive work on organised crime focuses heavily on
drug dealing and insufficiently on crimes such as fraud, human
trafficking and child sexual exploitation.
Rick Muir, Director of the Police Foundation said:
"The findings are striking. They suggest that organised crime is
more prolific than many had estimated and the harms more serious
than we thought. Yet the policing response often falls between
stools. Too much of the police response to organised crime is
focused on traditional areas like drug dealing rather than new
and emerging threats such as fraud, child sexual exploitation and
modern slavery."
A copy of the report is attached.
The Director of the Police Foundation Dr Rick Muir can be
contacted on: Rick.Muir@police-foundation.org.uk; 07875 546155
Professor Martin Gill can be contacted on:
m.gill@perpetuityresearch.com; 07740 284286
The Police Foundation is the UK's independent policing think tank
http://www.police-foundation.org.uk. Perpetuity Research started
life as a spin-out from the University of Leicester. It
specialises in crime, security and risk research and advice.
www.perpetuityresearch.com.
