"Organised crime is big business. As criminals become more sophisticated, so we must
raise our game to fight it. We must make better use of technology to stay ahead.

"The creation of a single agency to tackle organised crime marks a step change in our
efforts to reduce the harm it does to the UK and its citizens."




David Blunkett, Home Secretary.

Continuity
The themes of the 2004 congress use as their basis some of the key recommendations made at the 2003 congress. There are four main themes for the 2004 congress:

Session One - The Challenge: Understanding the threat from organised crime. [Dublin recommendation 6: Crime reporting by private bodies, if necessary sanitised and in line with sectorally expressed sensitivities, should become a structural and systematically requested source of European crime statistics. The private sector should be encouraged to implement processes that will disclose to the competent authorities the true extent of crime losses.']

Session Two - Protection: Creating a hostile environment for organised crime. [Dublin recommendation 7: 'it is recommended that national platforms involving the fullest possible range of stakeholders from the public and private sectors be established in each country to enhance the co-ordination and development of crime prevention initiatives and raise public awareness of crime prevention.']

Session Three - Helping Ourselves: How can success against organised crime be measured? [Dublin recommendation 4: 'The measurement of economic harm and its impact on economic stability and sustainability is rarely part of classical policing concepts. However, in the context of an output oriented and pragmatic fight against organised crime, economic harm assessments need to gain critical importance as a basis for preventive and repressive policy formulation']

Session Four - The Future: Overcoming the barriers and exploiting opportunities to create effective partnerships. [Dublin recommendation 1: ‘it is recommended that leaders in the private and public sectors be invited to emphasise their commitment to the fight against organised crime by engaging in the formation of partnerships between the public and private sectors at local, national, European and international levels’] [Dublin recommendation 2: 'it is recommended that a Protocol on partnerships between the public and private sectors at national level be developed alongside an Action Plan at EU level. These would identify the key elements required for establishing effective partnerships within the entire EU to enable private sector stakeholders, law enforcement and government bodies to work together to minimise the harm caused by organised crime.']

Confirmed speakers include:
Rob Wainwright, Director of the International Division, NCIS; Dr Mark Galeotti, Director of the Organised Russian & Eurasian Crime Research Unit (ORECRU), Keele University; Bill Hughes, Director General, NCS and Director General (Designate), Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA); Rick McConnell, Regional Director of Security - EMEA, Kraft Foods International; Anna Myers, Deputy Director, Public Concern at Work; Sharon Kerr, Detective Chief Superintendent, Metropolitan Police Service; Ian Harley, Chairman, Risk and Security Management Forum; Stephen Webb, Head of Organised and Financial Crime Unit, Home Office; Bill Cleghorn, CA, Forensic Services Partner, RSM Robson Rhodes; Tony Thomas, Detective Chief Inspector, Head of the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU) and Stephen Hawgood, Corporate Asset Protection and Compliance Officer, North Asia, Eli Lilly, Chairman, Pharmaceutical Industry Working Group, Quality Brands Protection Committee (QBPC).

Why attend?
Serious and organised criminals engage in a wide range of illegal practices. They are quick to adapt to opportunities and challenges; ruthless and determined they will take steps to extend their criminal activities. Business crime is estimated to cost the UK economy £19bn per year and the impact of this affects everyone. Within the four themes of the congress a range of subjects will be discussed, for example: business fraud and extortion, financial and economic crime, money laundering, counterfeiting, drug crime, human trafficking, information and systems risk, Criminal Intelligence and Intelligence sharing, cyber crime, Supply chain security, Forensics, Identity Management and Theft, Physical risk - people assets, property, compliance and law, evidence gathering, legislation & standards.

Delegates will be afforded unique opportunities to liaise with senior level government officials, law enforcement personnel and business leaders tasked with combating organised crime. Delegates will be able to network with their peers allowing relationships to be built and furthered in an environment conducive to achieving a real, solid base in which to tackle the threat to business from crime.

Register now
Over 350 senior level delegates are expected to attend. The event is likely to be oversubscribed, as it was in 2003. Delegates are encouraged to register early to confirm a place at the congress. To register please click here.