Question

Explain the ways in which undercover investigations and the use of informants pose special problems in controlling organized crime. What other methods would you suggest if you were a federal employee tasked with controlling organized crime?

Answer 1

Certain special problems posed by the use of undercover investigations and the use of informants in controlling organized crime are:

1) Informant corruption: Sometimes uncover agents end up impersonating crimes.

2) Informants mights be working for both the police and the criminals.

3) Uncover informants might feel that they are betraying the criminals due to the long term relationship that had formed with them. This might lead to ethical issues in their mind.

4) The informants might refuse their duty due to identity issues and loss of integrity.

Some alternative ways to control organized crime are:

1) Thde nature of organized crime is changing and hence policing methods need to be more proactive. It would be a form of intelligence led policing where potential criminal activites would also get predicted.

2) Specialized analytical methods would be required to investigate organized crimes, so that more visual and auditory proofs are collected against them.

3) Financial tracking and computer facilities should also be used.

4) There should be proper information management system so that crime prevention efforts operate effectively.