Crime  and  Corruption

                S S Gope,  Coke  Specialist, Tata Steel

Organised crime and corruption are intimately connected: where you find organised crime, you invariably find corruption.

The origins, growth, sustainability and global expansion of organised crime are fundamentally dependent on corruption. Corruption of the criminal justice system and, in particular, of the law enforcement agencies is a necessary condition for the survival of organised crime.

Criminals engaged in activities with high risk and substantial capital outlays, for example, international drug trafficking, require some assurances that their investments are secure and they are protected against loss. Unlike legitimate entrepreneurs, they cannot ask insurance companies to offset their risks, so they resort to bribery.

Police forces and customs departments are especially vulnerable because they operate at the front line of law enforcement. No major criminal enterprise can sustain its activities over a prolonged period without the consent and protection of elements in the relevant police forces. Police corruption scandals around the globe consistently demonstrate intimate corrupt connections between police officers and criminals.

The most vulnerable police are those engaged in curbing illegal markets such as trafficking in drugs and people, pornography and prostitution. Corruption is an important tool used by organised crime to minimise the risks inherent in conducting illegal activities. Bribery is used not only to corrupt police and customs officers but also to corrupt tax officials, juries and judges.

When organised crime has fully penetrated the machinery of the state, it is hard to distinguish between governments and gangsters. In such cases, bribery reaches into the political class and politicians are bought, or at least rented, like any other commodity or service. The corrupt and the criminal also collaborate because of their shared need to launder the proceeds of their illegitimate activities and hide them away in offshore banks and tax havens.

Organised crime and corruption both transcend national boundaries and it is difficult for national governments to regulate them effectively. They are inextricably linked and you cannot combat one without simultaneously tackling the other.