The world is becoming interconnected, with the consequences of one country affecting

another.

GLOBALISATION has led to the spread of TRANSNATIONAL ORGANISED CRIME 

HELD ET AL. Globalisation has created a GLOBAL CRIMINAL ECONOMY 
CASTELLE, believed to be worth 1 trillion per Annum  Globalisation has led to new
opportunities and new MEANS for crime and new offences, (more crime, different crimes,
and ways it can be committed). DRUGS TRADE, TRAFFICKING (kidneys, eyes), arms
trafficking, people trafficking, modern slavery, FINANCIAL CRIMES (money laundering,
TERRORISM. Green crime + cybercrime.

A global criminal economy has a DEMAND + SUPPLY side, often the supply side comes
from 3rd world developing countries e.g., COLUMBIA + AFGHANISTAN  large
population of peasants who can cultivate drugs e.g., in Columbia 20% of the population relies
on cocaine production for their income. There also needs to be a demand for products and
services  THE WEST

HOW HAS GLOBALISATION AFFECTED CRIME?

TAYLOR puts forward ways in which globalisation has changed the patterns and extent of
crime.

1. Globalisation has been accompanied by LESS REGULATIONS and STATE

CONTROL over business corporations  TNCS now operate in global markets
moving money, staff, and waste around the globe to places where profits are
higher, labour costs are lower and health and safety and pollution regulations are
less demanding and less likely to be enforced  this creates more inequalities
between developed and less developed countries,

TAYLOR adds that globalisation has led to fewer job opportunities and more job
insecurities = more unemployment, more part-time temporary jobs  at the same
time there has been a reduction in state welfare, BORNMAN adds that in LATE
MODERNITY growing individualism contributes to crime rates  any
achievement is down to individual effort , we cannot rely on SAFETY NETS
provided by the welfare states, Taylor adds that this has left people alone to weigh
up the costs and benefits of own decisions  RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY 
or link this to LEFT REALISM and ideas of RELATIVE DEPRIVATION,
MEDIA not helping this , heightening RD

2. BECK notes how globalisation has created new insecurities, GLOBAL RISK
CONSCIOUSNESS  risk is global rather than tied to a particular place, - does
the media exaggerate this risk ?? e.g., in the case of immigration does the media
create MORAL PANICS  does this explain the increase in hate crime??

3. Globalisation has created opportunities for crime, and the DEREGULATION of

FINANCIAL MARKETS, creating opportunities of insider trading and tax
evasion. NEW MEANS of carrying out crime can be linked to globalisation e.g.,
the ‘DARK WEB ‘allows criminals to commit illegal activities anywhere in the
world with little detection e.g., credit card (skimming) in the UK can be used in
the us minutes later
 4. GLOBALISATION has changed employment patterns  e.g., using subcontracts
to recruit flexible workers working illegally, or not paying minimum wage,
TAYLOR shows how globalisation is linked to the changes in patterns of crime,
but he doesn’t explain how the changes make people behave criminally.

GLOBALISATION has created new criminal opportunities, but it has also given rise to new
forms of criminal organisations  CASTELLES , globalisation has created
TRANSNATIONAL NETWORKS of crime that operate in lots of different countries , these
networks employ MILLIONS and often work in COLLUSION with CORRUPT STATE
OFFICIALS and legitimate businesses (e.g toxic waste) . FARR suggests that there are two
main types of global criminal networks

1. ESTABLISHED MAFIAS ( Italian, American mafia and the Chinese triads )  long
established often organised around family

2. NEWER ORGANISED CRIME GROUPS have emerged as a consequence of

globalisation and the collapse of the communist regime of Russia and Eastern Europe
( mainly Russian and Albanian, Romanian criminal gangs ) these gangs are
responsible for most of the world’s trafficking of people, illegal immigration
pornography and weapon smuggling = CASTELLS stresses how these gangs were
one REGIONAL but links are now international ( because there’s more money in it, it
is international, cultivating dealing it and bringing drugs over ) GLENIE uses the term
‘MACMAFIA’ to describe how these transnational gangs mirror legal transnational
organisations like McDonald’s, providing and selling the same product across the
world  instead of serving fast food they provide drugs, body parts and illegal
immigrants
A03 HOBSS + DUNNIGHAM add that global criminal networks work within local
contexts but have connections to global networks using the term ‘ GLOCAL ‘to describe this
inter connectedness

GENERAL AO3S
 Has Taylor + C0 exaggerated the significance and influence in crime? However, in the
UK crime rates have dropped.
 problems with policing and researching – transnational crime poses problems of the
jurisdiction ( UK police having no power in other countries ) also laws differ between other
countries, as a researcher, is likely to have to rely on secondary data
 Who cares ( take on a Marxist approach ) not much concern on transnational criminals
focusing more on street crime .