Yesterday the UK government launched its new organised crime strategy – I’m assuming it’s actually an anti-organised crime strategy, but you never know. As is the nature of these strategy documents, “From Local to Global: Reducing the Risk from Organised Crime” is a rather glib document, from the Sybil Fawlty* school of writing. Do we really need the Home Secretary to point out to us that “organised crime is a serious problem that affects real people”? Or for the other authors to comment that “organised criminals are ruthless in their pursuit of profit” and that “organised crime groups are complex organisations”?
I don’t mean to nit-pick, really I don’t. It’s just that I wonder whether another strategy document represents time well spent: rather than having the authorities tell me in a glossy publication and its attendant canape-d press launch that they are going to “stem the opportunities for organised crime to take root, strengthen enforcement to deal with the threat, and safeguard communities, businesses and the state” (which I had sort of assumed they would do, what with crime being illegal and all), I’d rather they just got on and did it.
* For those who have not seen “Fawlty Towers”, Sybil was known for stating “the bleeding obvious”
I hate money laundering 