Organized crime offenders and activies in the Czech Republic

• In Event: WG Organized Crime and Criminal Networks Panel 1. Organized crime & illicit markets

Abstract

Organized crime in the Czech Republic in modern form began to evolve after the fall of the communist regime in 1989. Starting in 1993, its continuous monitoring is taking place at the Institute for Criminology and Social Prevention in Prague, mainly through annual expert surveys. The paper presents the methodology of these expert investigations and deals with the development and changes of the main activities of criminal organizations operating in the Czech Republic. It presents the composition of these organizations and also the gradual involvement of Czech offenders. It characterizes from a development view shifts in the national composition of criminal organizations and in the main activities of individual groups, including the evident shift of these activities into economic and financial crime. It also deals with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on organized crime activities as well as the recruitment of new members of criminal organizations. Based on the last survey, it also informs about the use of corruption by organized crime and characterizes the main used corruption instruments and objectives of corruption attacks.

Author

• Miroslav Scheinost, Institute od criminology and social prevention