Exposing the organized crime of tomorrow

Europol identified a series of key driving factors that will impact the future landscape of serious and organized crime in Europe.

A decline of traditional hierarchical criminal groups and networks will be accompanied by the expansion of a virtual criminal underground made up of individual criminal entrepreneurs, who come together on a project basis.

These people will lend their knowledge, experience and expertise as part of a crime-as-a-service business model. Such dynamics can already be seen in the realm of cybercrime, but in the future these will extend to the domain of ‘traditional’ organized crime, governing crime areas such as drugs trafficking, illegal immigration facilitation and counterfeiting of goods.

“Organized crime is dynamic and adaptable and law enforcement authorities across the EU are challenged to keep pace with the changing nature of this substantial and significant threat. This report – the first of its kind for Europol – will enable us to look ahead and better allocate resources, plan operational activities and engage with policy- and law-makers to prevent certain types of crimes from emerging” says Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol.

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