Serious and organised crime

The current National Crime Agency definition of Serious Organised Crime (SOC) is as follows

Organised crime can be defined as serious crime planned, coordinated and conducted by people working together on a continuing basis. Their motivation is often, but not always, financial gain. Organised criminals working together for a particular criminal activity or activities are called an organised crime group.

Serious and Organised Crime can come in different forms including

  • county lines (organised supply and distribution of drugs)
  • cuckooing (drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person in order to use it as a base for drug dealing)
  • child exploitation
  • human trafficking and modern day slavery
  • sophisticated financial fraud
  • sophisticated theft and robbery
  • cyber crime
  • supply of firearms and weapons

Local authorities already work in partnership with their law enforcement partners on a number of community safety issues, but increasingly they are working together to disrupt SOC by:

  • raising awareness to increase intelligence gathering and understanding of SOC
  • sharing information about the use of properties to enable crime
  • tackling traders of illicit goods that may have links to other criminal activity
  • closing venues that permit the sale of illicit drugs

Further information