A resilient society helps prevent organised and subversive crime
Tackling organised and subversive crime is increasingly high on the societal agenda. This is because criminal organisations are finding clever ways to circumvent the legal structures of our society in order to conduct their illegal activities. They have a lot of money and don’t shy away from the use of violence; as a result, they are endangering the safety of citizens, professionals and companies and undermining the rule of law. The Subversive Crime research group sheds light on how these mechanisms work and investigates what we can do about them as a society.
Organised and subversive crime takes many forms, but is generally described as an economically driven societal phenomenon characterised by the intertwining of legal and illegal activities – for example, importing drugs via a fruit grower, using a nail salon to launder criminal proceeds, threatening a ‘difficult’ council official or even murdering a lawyer who is defending an important witness. This puts the safety of citizens, professionals and companies in jeopardy, and undermines public trust and the very foundations of our society.
