Zolghadriha, Sanaz;
(2018)
The Investigation of Organised Crime Networks.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
Abstract
The agreed consensus among criminologists today is that globalisation has been beneficial for organised crime groups. These criminal organisations have adapted to a transnational nature, primarily through their mobility and engagement in transnational criminal activities. Academics and practitioners alike agree that the transnational nature of organised crime is maintained through networks. The threat of transnational organised crime has prompted new law enforcement responses, often guided by intelligence-led efforts. Simultaneously, academics in the field are increasingly applying new methods to study organised crime networks. This field of study has provided insight into the networking of organised crime, through the application of social network analysis. However, the majority of these studies are confined to relationships that are formed between individual offenders in organised crime networks. Few studies have applied this method to the investigation of transnational organised crime networks. Thus, the use of social network analysis in the study of link between organised crime groups across countries is yet to be realised. This thesis analyses the investigation of transnational organised crime networks, through a mixed-methods research design. The thesis is comprised of four empirical chapters, beginning with a qualitative study of UK law enforcement focus groups. The qualitative analysis presents the perspective of UK practitioners with regards to current trends in organised crime, investigative barriers, successful investigations, and characteristics of transnational organised crime. These results guide the three subsequent quantitative studies, where social network analysis is applied to a unique dataset of 78 transnational organised crime groups across 16 countries. The results illustrate group attributes that facilitate networking, changes in network connectivity and key actors over time, and variables that predict ties between groups.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | The Investigation of Organised Crime Networks |
| Event: | UCL |
| Language: | English |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Security and Crime Science |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10057160 |
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