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Abstract

This study evaluates how much knowledge the general public have on the topic of organised crime and assesses their opinions on what types of crime should be prioritised, how well the police deal with this issue and any barriers that exist to prevent them from engaging with law enforcement on this topic. The results of this research were compared with two similar studies from Bullock (2009) and Kirby et al. (2018) to identify any variance from the conclusions drawn by these.
Research into organised crime groups has brought a wealth of knowledge around the setup of groups, how individuals become involved in organised crime and how crime groups go about their business. Similarly, there are frequent studies conducted to monitor public opinions due to the high level of influence they have on government business and policy making. This study is one of a few that bridges the gap between these themes and seeks to identify public opinions specifically around organised crime.
The study utilised an online survey which was distributed through social media, which tested the participants knowledge of the definition of organised crime and the types of crime which are categorised therein. It also captured their opinions of the different crime types and their experiences of interacting with law enforcement.
The public priorities identified largely align with those found in Bullock (2009), placing crime types which cause high levels of harm to individual victims at the forefront, however it uncovered some differing opinions whereby enabling crimes were prioritised on the basis of the wider impact they have. There was also a variety of opinions gathered relating to public trust in law enforcement including issues of trust and concerns about their ability to protect public informants from retribution, should they report information relating to organised crime.

Course: Criminal Justice - MSc - C2681F

Date Deposited: 2023-05-03

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14121.html