Transnational organised crime implies a huge threat potential for countries with regard to national security and integrated border management policies and their defined needs in terms of public safety and order, as well as the legal mandate of their law enforcement agencies.
Actually, there is no all-in-one definition available which leads even between experts regularly to misinterpretation what is understood by organised crime. The comparison of the descriptions related to organised crime illustrates that a simple and absolutely certain implementation of the definitions is complicated and difficult to manage. Both the content and the scope of the definitions of the respective countries and international organisations are very different. A distinction between forms of organised crime and non-organised crime is therefore likely to be drawn between complex associations of criminals on the one hand and individually acting perpetrators on the other.
Countries are increasingly exposed to a large number of very serious threats in which transnational organised crime groups are engaged, inter alia, in trafficking in human beings and people smuggling, illicit trafficking of drugs and weapons, international vehicle crime, money laundering and tax evasion, child pornography, just to mention a few of the most important areas. Additional threats have arisen through terrorism and foreign terrorist fighters, as well as violent extremism.
border21 provides expertise and assistance, inter alia, in the following areas:
- awareness building how integrated border management (IBM) related projects could strengthen state’s law enforcement capacities to prevent transnational threats and effectively combat cross-border organised crime.
- introduction of good practices in the area of IBM and functioning models of enhanced inter-agency cooperation and secure information exchange.
- elaboration of national IBM strategies and action plans to increase capacities to counter terrorism and foreign terrorist fighters, and combat organised crime groups based on risk analyses and gaps and needs assessments.
- specialised training courses to combating cross-border organised crime.
- required minimum standards of technical equipment.
Interpol and Europol have a particular responsibility in coordinating the work of national police services of countries in the areas of fighting cross-border organised crime and averting transnational threats and ensuring an all-encompassing information management.
border21 provides profound competence and highly qualified experts and lecturers and seeks close collaboration with relevant entities and identified stakeholders to develop and deliver target-oriented workshops and specialised training courses.