Global Crime Report - Policing The Planet [BBC World Service Radio Series]

Policing The Planet

Network: BBC World Service
URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/global_crime_report/radioseries/ptpradioseries.shtml
Format:  MP3

Organised crime is a major problem in our increasingly globalised world.
Just as legitimate business has grown and benefited from better
communications and information technology - so has criminal enterprise.

In a landmark BBC World Service radio series, Policing the Planet looks
at how crime fighters across the world are struggling to cope with the
new demands upon them.


1 - Wanted

Now that crime has become truly international, the police too must work
effectively across borders.

Policing the Planet investigates a rapidly growing area of criminal
activity - the exchange of paedophile images on the internet.

We hear how international police co-operation and cutting edge technology
are being used to stem the trade in pictures of children being abused -
pictures which have become currency for organised criminals.


2 - Trafficked Goods

Whether it's stolen vehicles, works of art or endangered species, the
global traffic in contraband is moving with unprecedented speed.

Follow the huge trade in stolen vehicles in Prague, the trade in turtles
from Hong Kong and, in London, we uncover the story of rare creatures
that have been traded for profit.

Wildlife, vehicles, counterfeit goods, precious stones or works of art
- all are part of the criminal enterprise that is looking to maximise
profit and minimise risk.

Police co-operation and the sharing of information across borders is
the way forward but, as this report reveals, around the world the police
are struggling to make it happen.


3 - Drugs

Aside from terrorism, drugs are the main focus of police work
internationally - the huge amounts of money involved, the growth in the
numbers of users to 180 million world wide and the social ills associated
with drugs have pushed the trade to the top of the policing agenda.

In this programme we travel to Miami Florida to hear how police are
dealing with the massive problem of cocaine imported from South America
and the Caribbean.

We look at the legal changes that are being made and those that are
still needed to allow police to pursue drug dealers across borders.

Focus is placed on the broader police initiatives to seize the assets
of convicted drug dealers and attempts to get to the problem at source.


4 - Money and Corruption

The most complex and insidious crimes facing the police internationally
are money laundering and corruption. Money crimes are very sophisticated
now that it is possible to transfer funds across the world on the press
of a button.

This report shows how police are tackling the money launderers and how
they are dealing with the question of corruption within their own ranks.

Focusing on integrity testing, we learn about a new method of setting
tests for officers to root out corruption.