Establishment of regional transnational organised crime hubs in the Asia Pacific

The work of this Study Group has beenÂ completed.

Co-Chairs

Aus CSCAP, CSCAP New Zealand, CSCAP Philippines and CSCAP Thailand.

Considerations

This Study Group proposes to identify criteria that would assist in predictive modelling of emerging crime hubs in the Asia Pacific Region in order to identify strategies and opportunities to counteract such threats to regional security.

There is no doubt that national governments and international agencies are highly active in attempting to combat international crime, terrorism and money laundering. The United Nations Office of Drug Control and Crime in Vienna, and the OECD's Financial Action Task Force against Money Laundering, are among the leaders, and there are now many examples of regional agreements to combat transnational crime.

Specific agenda

The specific agenda of this Study Group will be to:

Build on the outcomes of, and seek to support the ongoing efforts initiated from the establishment of the "Work Programme to Implement the ASEAN Plan of Action to Combat Transnational Crime" at Kuala Lumpur on 17 May, 2002;
Target areas where these crime types have emerged and through an inductive process identify common criteria that facilitated such emergence;
Through a risk based assessment process the Study Group will develop models of predictability around each crime type focusing upon the probability of that criteria emerging in different locals within the Region; and
Develop new materials and directions however it will also draw upon existing outputs generated by relevant international organisations such as UNODC, IMF, World Bank, FATF, APG, ASEAN, ADB, APEC, Interpol etc;
Seek to identify strategies and opportunities to counteract threats including better regional and national policing strategies led through appropriate national and regional intelligence frameworks and supported by more appropriate regulatory environments to impede crime; and
Through a scientific approach the project will identify and then assess conditions that exist which increase the probability of emergence and propagation of certain crime categories within existing regional crime hubs and the likely evolution of new crime hubs.

Outcomes

Development of a monitoring tool, combining available statistical evidence with local knowledge and expertise on transnational crime, money laundering and terrorism in the region, that would enable:

Improved targeting of countermeasures by early identification of high-risk hubs;
Greater cost-effectiveness ratios for preventive measures through the ability to monitor "what works";
Identification of new "critical issues" that warrant CSCAP and Track 1 attention;
CSCAP Memorandum; and
Publication(s) on outcomes of the study.

Meetings

This Study Group has held the following meetings.

3rd Meeting: 20-21 May, Chonburi, Thailand
Download the Co-Chairs Project Outcome Report.

2nd Meeting: 9-12 October 2009, Phuket, Thailand.
Download the Co-Chairs report.

1st Meeting: 1-2 May, 2009,Â Bangkok, Thailand.