Page 169 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

It has a corrosive impact on our public services, communities, reputation and
way of life. The National Crime Agency (NCA) assesses that the threat from
serious and organised crime is increasing and serious and organised criminals
are continually looking for ways to exploit new victims and novel methods to
make money, particularly online.

They use intimidation to create fear within our communities and to undermine
the legitimacy of the state. Enabled by their lawyers and accountants,
corrupt elites and criminals set up fake companies to help them to hide their
profits, fund lavish lifestyles and invest in further criminality.

Serious and organised crime knows no borders, and many offenders operate
as part of large networks spanning multiple countries. Technological change
allows criminals to share indecent images of children, sell drugs and hack into
national infrastructure more easily from all around the world, while
communicating more quickly and securely through encrypted phones.

In some countries overseas, criminals have created safe havens where serious
and organised crime, corruption and the state are interlinked and self-
serving. This creates instability and undermines the reach of the law, hindering
our ability to protect ourselves from other national security threats such as
terrorism and hostile state activity. Corruption, in particular, hinders the UK’s
ability to help the world’s poorest people, reduce poverty and promote
global prosperity.
Where should we begin?

At the time of writing, I approach my 60 year. From the earliest times, I was
th
no different to any other curious viewer, only too aware of the serious and
notorious criminals whose activities were omnipresent in the media pages
and on our television screens. Each villainous act fuelled a desire to play my
own small part of the system to bring miscreants to justice.
There will be some who almost respected and revered some of these
characters for their guile and cunning in the commission of their offences. A
senior Detective Officer once told me it was ok to respect and even admire a
clever villain, as long as we never lost sight of the fact that however clever,
they operate on the wrong side of the moral and legal fence and it was our
job to catch them and bring them to justice.

Where there are complex and intelligent preparatory crimes, I may give
credit where it’s due, but there can be no leniency. If folk get hurt or suffer in
any way, it is abhorrent and indefensible. A criminal act is no less so because
of the ingenuity in its execution. There is always a victim somewhere and they
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deserve protection and justice.