A Road Map for Beating Latin America's Transnational Criminal Organizations
Abstract
The challenges posed by transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) -- networks that meld international syndicates with domestic gangs for greater and deeper illegal reach -- today cut a searing path through Latin America's political, social, and economic landscape, morphing what once seemed strictly law enforcement problems into national security threats. At the same time, throughout the region, a fierce debate has arisen about the efficacy and appropriateness of military versus law enforcement responses, and combinations of the two, thrust into this violent chasm. In an extensive survey of people's sense of trust in national police forces around the Americas, the respected Americas Barometer found -- not surprisingly given the region's racial and ethnic stratification -- a "positive correlation between self-identifying as white (compared to all other groups) and trust in the police." Other factors, it reported, "such as a history of crime victimization, fear of crime, and victimization by corruption contribute negatively to people's perceptions." Add the fact that in most countries of the region police forces are dramatically underpaid and underresourced, while facing criminal groups of sophisticated organization and high-octane lethality, and it is clear that much has to be done. To combat TCOs, criminals, terrorists, and their quasi-legal facilitators need to be confronted by an integrated law enforcement, intelligence, and military effort as part of a "whole-of-government" approach. This new emphasis, in which the police and military are integral parts of a larger effort, would foster collaboration and reinforce communities of interest at national, regional, and international levels.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA546704
Entities
People
- Martin E. Andersen
Organizations
- National Defense University