15.02.2015 Views

National Threat Assessment 2008. Organised Crime - Politie

National Threat Assessment 2008. Organised Crime - Politie

National Threat Assessment 2008. Organised Crime - Politie

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

Most of the violence in and between criminal organisations remains unnoticed<br />

by the public at large. As long as the use of violence remains within criminal<br />

circles, the consequences for society are not that serious. This is also related<br />

to the general view that the criminals only have themselves to blame. However,<br />

there are also victims in these cases. There is also a possibility that innocent<br />

members of the public will become (indirectly) involved if violence breaks out<br />

in public places. A liquidation within criminal circles, for example, usually has a<br />

profound effect on society because it undermines the rule of law and increases<br />

the general feeling of not being safe. The number of liquidations has dropped<br />

in recent years.<br />

5.3.6 <strong>Crime</strong>-related factors and expectations<br />

The use of instrumental violence or threatening instrumental violence often<br />

forms part of the modus operandi for specific offences. It speaks for itself that<br />

these activities are carried out by a certain type of criminal who does not mind<br />

using violence. As there are no indications that the number of offences where<br />

instrumental violence is used will drop in the future, violence will continue to<br />

be used as well. The use of violence in robberies has increased in recent years.<br />

The use of violence in criminal organisations appears to be determined mainly by<br />

the (hierarchical) group structure of the organisation. Violence between criminal<br />

organisations is mainly used by long-lasting organisations if major interests are<br />

at stake, such as a market share. Naturally, the availability of weapons is also<br />

important. For many criminals the use of violence is a way to settle conflicts.<br />

In addition, it is clear that violence is not always used based on a rational<br />

calculation and often has to do with mood and the disciplining of people<br />

involved. Violence within and between criminal organisations will not decrease<br />

for the foreseeable future, as the financial interests are considerable. In recent<br />

years, for example, illegal cannabis growing has involved huge sums of money.<br />

Furthermore, new players who could be described as ‘hardened’ criminals<br />

appear regularly on the market. Experts are therefore expecting an increased<br />

spiral of violence.<br />

5.3.7 Conclusion<br />

The use of violence (or the threat of violence) by criminal organisations is<br />

described in this section as 1) violence with an instrumental purpose, 2) violence<br />

within criminal organisations and 3) violence between criminal organisations.<br />

The scale of each of these types is not expected to decrease in the future.<br />

There are criminal organisations that systematically victimise people.<br />

chapter 5 – Criminal modus operandi<br />

191

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!