Organised crime poses a threat to the security of our societies and the integrity of public administration. This study responds to a call from the Research and Documentation Centre (Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek- en Documentatiecentrum, WODC) to gather insights into the effectiveness of preventative instruments in the field of organised crime, drawing on a review of the literature and expert interviews.

Inzichten in de effectiviteit van preventieve instrumenten in de strijd tegen georganiseerde criminaliteit

[Insights into the effectiveness of preventive instruments tackling organised crime]

Mafalda Pardal, Lana Eekelschot, Stijn Hoorens, Emma Louise Blondes

ResearchPublished Jan 31, 2023

Cover: Inzichten in de effectiviteit van preventieve instrumenten in de strijd tegen georganiseerde criminaliteit
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Organised crime poses a threat to the security of our societies and the integrity of public administration. While preventive measures may be effective in thwarting certain types of crime, little is known about the types of instruments that can effectively help preventing organised crime. This study responds to a call from the Research and Documentation Centre (Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek- en Documentatiecentrum, WODC) to gather insights into the effectiveness of preventative instruments in the field of organised crime.

This study focused specifically on three activities associated with organised crime: drug production and trafficking, arms trafficking and smuggling, and human trafficking and smuggling. Through a review of the literature and interviews with experts, researchers examined the available evidence on organised crime prevention and what we can learn from such evidence.

Key Findings

  • The number of relevant studies was quite limited, but they contained information on a wide range of instruments with a strong focus on situational prevention and on primary (i.e. general population) and secondary target groups (i.e. individuals more susceptible to become victim or offender).
  • There is relatively little robust evidence on the effects of preventive instruments in the field of organised crime.
  • Researchers identified no clear lessons on effective preventive instruments for the Netherlands.

Recommendations

  • Strong(er) evaluation designs are needed to improve the knowledge base and develop more effective organised crime prevention strategies. Experts stressed the need to reconsider the indicators and data sources used in current research, and to incorporate multiple methods in evaluation designs.
  • Because perceived obstacles are not unique to the evaluation of organised crime prevention, lessons may perhaps be learned from approaches in other areas of crime prevention.
  • Overall, more efforts seem necessary to better understand the role and effects of the specific instruments identified and to paint a clearer picture of the impact of preventive efforts in the field organised crime.

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RAND Style Manual
Pardal, Mafalda, Lana Eekelschot, Stijn Hoorens, and Emma Louise Blondes, Inzichten in de effectiviteit van preventieve instrumenten in de strijd tegen georganiseerde criminaliteit: [Insights into the effectiveness of preventive instruments tackling organised crime], RAND Corporation, RR-A2303-1, 2023. As of October 7, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2303-1.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Pardal, Mafalda, Lana Eekelschot, Stijn Hoorens, and Emma Louise Blondes, Inzichten in de effectiviteit van preventieve instrumenten in de strijd tegen georganiseerde criminaliteit: [Insights into the effectiveness of preventive instruments tackling organised crime]. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2023. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2303-1.html.
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