Cardiff academic helps fight organised crime

A Cardiff University academic is at the forefront of the fight against serious organised crime in Europe.

Dr Mike Levi, Professor of Criminology in the School of Social
Sciences, analyzes the risk of such crime, advises the Council of Europe and has contributed to the Council's latest Annual Organised Crime Report.

The 2005 Report includes a section focusing on economic crime in Europe written by Professor Levi, Dr. Nicholas Dorn (a Research Fellow in the department) and Professor Leonid Fituni from Moscow.

" Serious organised economic crime, that is crime which affects people on a large scale, is an increasing problem in countries where there are unstable governments and emerging capitalist economies, such as those in Eastern Europe, " said Professor Levi.

"The Report looks at the conditions under which economic crime can flourish, and lessons that can be learned to prevent it from happening. This involves taking a strategic look at the factors that make frauds and other transnational crimes easier, from the crime organisers and their collaborators such as lawyers and transport companies to how the police are organised and how little interest in the media there is in investigative journalism against major political figures in Eastern Europe, " he added.

Professor Levi is keen to dispel the mythical image of organised crime. He said: " It is particularly important that we escape the mental silos in which we place 'organised crime' - committed by 'people in dark glasses carrying violin cases' - in one category and 'white-collar/economic crime' - committed by 'respectables' - in another.

"The Council of Europe has recognised that there is a large section in the middle where the same sorts of people are involved in both, and the social threat from economic crime can be immense."

One of the world's leading experts on serious organised crime,
Professor Levi has taught at Cardiff University since 1991 and is one of few academics who specialise in this area.

" Until recently, little research was being done on organised crime as there wasn't a great deal of funding available. Also, the researcher needs to have broad knowledge of several fields including law, sociology, business and politics.

" However, since the rise of casino capitalism in Eastern Europe and big scandals such as Parmalat in Italy and Enron in the USA, there has been a growing interest in the subject and more research is being funded and carried out with a view to reducing the problem and improving the criminal justice process, " he said.

14-02-06
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