International Serious and Organised Crime Conference 2013
 

The corruptor and the corrupted—Examining the link between organised crime and law enforcement corruption

Speaker: , Integrity Commissioner, Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity

The Commonwealth Organised Crime Strategic Framework, published in 2009, identifies that organised criminal networks may engage in criminal infiltration and use of corrupt officers as facilitators and trusted insiders. Speaking on this theme at ISOC 2010, the Integrity Commissioner outlined the need to consider organised crime and corruption investigations as related activities—a hidden ‘corruption handshake’ between corruptor and corrupted. The relative strength of the Australian economy has brought about the conditions whereby corrupt facilitators and criminal infiltration are now real threats to the integrity and effectiveness of law enforcement agencies.

The Integrity Commissioner will draw on recent experience to examine the utility of joint investigations and intelligence sharing, where organised crime and corruption are linked issues. These ‘integrity partnerships’ expose the vulnerabilities exploited and methods employed by organised crime and corrupt officers, paving the way for effective responses to both.