Strategic Hub for Organised Crime Research

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ESRC
ESRC
ESRC
ESRC
ESRC

£939,315

Dec. 8, 2015

March 31, 2019

In December 2014, RUSI launched a Strategic Hub for Organised Crime Research to develop a world class research agenda that meets the needs of policymakers. With the support of government agencies and Research Councils UK, RUSI is eager to build the momentum behind the Strategic Hub to overcome the fragmented knowledge base on organised crime and contribute to policy solutions.

The increased visibility of organised crime and the recognition of the cost to the UK has resulted in new strategies to respond to criminal activity. The Home Office has developed the Serious and Organised Crime Strategy and established the National Crime Agency. The new strategy takes a holistic approach to organised crime, seeking to Pursue, Prevent, Protect and Prepare.

Despite renewed energy to combat organised crime, significant knowledge gaps remain. The 2011 Home Office report, 'Future Directions in Organised Crime Research' recognised that the understanding of the scale, impacts, costs and victims of organised crime was inadequate, and an understanding of the individuals engaged in organised crime, including their relationships and the markets they operate within, was lacking. The report pointed to the need to evaluate existing interventions to address organised crime, to develop a better evidence base around drivers, and understand the changing nature of organised crime and future areas of concern.

Academic research on organised crime has been expanding, which provides an avenue to fill some of these knowledge gaps. Without being driven by a particular policy agenda, academic researchers have the freedom and flexibility to engage with a wide variety of areas, determining which areas are important and warrant further investigation. The emphasis on empirical data provides rich and detailed analysis of how organised crime manifests in different environments, who is involved, and the tensions that arise within organised criminal activity. While organised crime is a growing area of research for academics, much of the research that has emerged is disconnected from the needs of policymakers.

Policy development and scholarly analysis proceed on different tracks. The freedom that underpins academic research can mean that it is disconnected from the needs of policymakers. Instead research may advance theoretical debates which do not enhance responses to organised crime. As a result, there is much to be gained from a dialogue between the two. Academic analysis can improve approaches to organised crime, and provide a deeper understanding of the phenomena, while policymakers and practitioners elucidate problem areas and where further analysis is required, ensuring that academic investigation has a significant impact.

RUSI is well positioned to bridge this gap. With a strong research background and an extensive network of academics working on organised crime, RUSI is engaged in and connected to the growing body of academic research in this area. RUSI also works closely with government agencies addressing organised crime, ensuring a detailed understanding of policy needs.

The Strategic Hub was launched at a conference on 8 December 2014, bringing together policymakers, practitioners and academics to discuss the challenges they face and where further research and analysis is needed. The conference generated an enthusiastic response, and RUSI has created a database of over 200 academics, 65 policymakers and 25 practitioners working on organised crime. This proposal is seeking support to maintain the momentum of the Hub and continue to build the network.

With support from the ESRC, RUSI will build the network and through a series of workshops and other events, transform existing academic research into useful products for policymakers. The Hub also seeks to influence further academic research to ensure it meets policy needs. Additional funding will be sourced from other funders to pursue specific research projects that emerge from the Hub.

Potential Impact:
The Strategic Hub for Organised Crime research aims to build a dialogue between policy development and academic research. RUSI is well positioned to bridge this gap. With a strong research background and an extensive network of academics working on organised crime, RUSI is engaged in and connected to the growing body of academic research in this area. RUSI also works closely with government agencies addressing organised crime, ensuring a detailed understanding of policy needs.

Bridging the gap between policy and research has a significant impact potential. Academic analysis can improve approaches to organised crime, and provide a deeper understanding of the phenomena, while policymakers and practitioners elucidate problem areas and where further analysis is required, ensuring that academic investigation has a significant impact.

The Strategic Hub was launched at a conference on 8 December 2014, which brought together policymakers, practitioners and academic researchers to discuss the challenges they face and discuss where further research and analysis is needed. The conference generated an enthusiastic response, and RUSI has created a database of over 200 academics, 65 policymakers and 25 practitioners working on organised crime.

With ESRC support, RUSI will continue to build the Strategic Hub for Organised Crime Research. By identifying and prioritising key research questions that address government knowledge gaps, the Hub aims to make academic research more targeted at policy needs. By improving communication and collaboration between researchers, policymakers and practitioners the Hub will bridge the gap between the different groups ensuring that understandings of organised crime are maximised and targeted at key threats to the UK. The Hub will also enhance public understandings of organised crime and the threat it poses.