Hoe zal de huidige Corona-crisis het landschap van de zware en georganiseerde criminaliteit in de EU veranderen? Europol onderzocht de impact van COVID-19 op de situatie vandaag, op de middellange termijn en op de lange termijn. De resultaten van dit onderzoek staan in het nieuwe Europol-rapport, dat u terugvindt in BlueConnect en hieronder kunt downloaden.
Catherine De Bolle (Uitvoerend directeur Europol): “Serious and organised crime is exploiting the changing circumstances during the pandemic. From the onset of this crisis, Europol monitored these developments to help Member States understand and tackle these emerging phenomena. The full impact of the pandemic – not only on crime but also more widely on society and the economy – is not yet apparent. However, law enforcement should be prepared to be able to respond to the warning signals as the world deals with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever, international policing needs to work with the increased connectivity both in the physical and virtual worlds. This crisis again proves that exchanging criminal information is essential to fighting crime within the law enforcement community. Europol, as the criminal information hub for all law enforcement organisations, will continue to play its part.”