Economic crime report 2004 - Ekobrottsmyndigheten

Preventive Economic Contacts (PECs) represent the most common working
method for preventing economic crime. PECs are visits, coordinated
by various agencies, to businesses for the purpose of providing information
about registration, accounting, taxation, etc. Such visits have been
increasingly called into question in recent years and steadily diminished
in number. Meanwhile, alternative crime prevention methods – often
based on interagency cooperation with various interest organizations
– have emerged.
Under certain circumstances, PECs allow for productive contact with the
general public. While culling information, agencies can make observations
and learn about the problems and conditions faced by the private
sector. Thus, there may be grounds for devoting resources to some kind of
PEC effort merely to understand the workaday world better, even if that
is not its primary purpose.
10.3 SKV’s CRIME PREVENTION EFFORT
SKV’s general task is to prevent and rectify tax errors and evasion. Investigative
and supervisory activities are central to preventing tax crime. The
overarching purpose is to have a preventive effect. SKV’s tax crime units
are its primary vehicles for preventing and combating illegal activities.
The units’ knowledge and experience of risks and behaviour will be put to
use. Their preventive efforts chiefly involve gathering, systematizing and
analyzing information. SKV will draw on the knowledge accumulated by
the units in order to minimize uncollected revenues.
SKV put together a report in 2003 entitled Contributions of Tax Crime
Units to the Crime Prevention Efforts of the Tax Authorities. In 2004, a
task force will develop a method for taking advantage of the experience
that the units have had during pretrial investigations. Prevention efforts
will accumulate unique knowledge about the causes of and opportunities
for crime. The experiences will be systematized and serve as the basis for
SKV’s supervisory and informational activities. The information will also
provide the underpinnings of the agency’s legislative proposals.
Tax-related offences represent a large, important area in the effort to prevent
economic crime. One case in point is the fight against the everyday
offences of undeclared work and unreported income. Of great urgency is
to identify ways for tax authorities, tax crime units and EBM to cooperate
and share responsibility so as to maximize their combined skills and
resources. The tax authorities are continually in touch with individuals
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