Special Police Forces as a part of security system in combating Organized Crime and Terrorism

Special Police Force

The fight of the state against terrorism and organized crime is going through various security subjects that we can divide into conventional and non-conventional. The importance of both is huge and if we want this fight to have the future we should look at them as a whole. The battle of the unconventional security subjects is not so “visible”, but it does not diminish the significance of these subjects as a part of the bigger equation.

 

Special Police Forces

Nowadays, regardless of the level of awareness about security at both, the national and international levels, the security of citizens and states itself, is threatened by organized crime and terrorism. The fight against terrorism and organized crime as a modern threat to security is increasingly moving from national to international and global level. The reason for this is the transfer of threats from local and national to regional and global networks, which is extremely well-connected primarily due to the economic factor and the enormous profits provided by modern technology.

So, what is the contribution of the police special forces as a part of the conventional subjects in the fight against terrorism and organized crime?

The spectrum of possible operations when talking about the states’ struggle against terrorism and organized crime tells us of the huge need for specialized units that would be ready for action in the short time, in different fields, from various actions of cooperation of national units through various international missions and Joint Force Task Units in endless war against terrorism and organized crime. In this sense, there is a wide range of opportunities that States provide adequately trained special units, both military, and police.

Terrorism

In the last few decades, there has been an expansion of terrorism and terrorist acts. However, terrorism is not a term that emerged in the 20th century. Although most medieval actions resemble acts of terrorism, most of them are not, but still, this is not a new phenomenon.

The second half of the XX century is the period when terrorism has become a part of everyday life and there is no man in a civilized world who has not heard of some terrorist actions. This can naturally be associated with the development of media and the flow of the information, but this is exactly what suits the rise of terrorism. It is not easy to answer the question whether terrorism has become known to the masses with the help of mass media or the development of mass media and the speed of information transfer has led to the development of terrorism. This is because the strongest weapon of terrorism is precise that their actions are well known and thus fear among the population is spread. The link between the fear and demands from terrorists is the responsibility of every state to keep its citizens safe. 

“Terrorism is organized use of violence (or threat of violence) by politically motivated perpetrators who are determined to impose their will on the authorities and citizens through fear, anxiety, and panic.” (R.Gacinovic, 1998). This is only one of many definitions of terrorism, and if we look at it in that way we can say that for terrorism we have to have violence, political motive, and fear. Their goal is to spread fear as wide as then can and to affect as many people as they can.

Organized crime

Unlike terrorism that seeks to be public and that as many people as possible get to know about the terrorist actions so the effect of panic and fear is spread, organized crime and those who deal with it, tend to remain as imperceptible as possible.

According to UNTOC (United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime) “Organized criminal group” shall mean a structured group of three or more persons, existing for a period of time and acting in concert with the aim of committing one or more serious crimes or offenses established in accordance with this Convention, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit.

 Every organized criminal group is followed by the corruption on all levels of the state. From the local authorities and police officers to the government representatives. Organized crime wouldn’t exist if there is no corruption. Corruption is needed in every aspect and part of this organizations. From distributing of the illicit goods and avoiding the prosecution to money laundering, this organizations have to have influence on government, politics, media, etc.

Special Police Forces

Special Police Forces

 As a part of the forces, involved in the fight against terrorism and organized crime, special forces are an important lever that can bring an advantage to the state. An advantage that is not often on the side of the righteous. In its fight, the state must bear in mind the safety of its citizens, while terrorist and criminal organizations do not have this burden. In many cases, especially in the fight against terrorism, great multiple victims and great fear are essential weapons of the perpetrators, while states tend to minimize these consequences.

According to Jones and Libicki (2008), the country’s anti-terrorist action involves the use of various instruments, from police, the Department of Justice, Correctional Services and military, to political and civil-civilian.

State security subjects are divided into:

  1. Conventional – which directly affect security in the country
  • The army
  • Police
  • Customs
  • Various inspections
  • Prosecution
  • Courts
  • Bodies for the enforcement of criminal sanctions
  1. Unconventional – those whose activity indirectly affects security
  • Legislative bodies
  • Bodies of executive power
  1. Others – those who in some way contribute to the realization of the security function
  • Local government
  • NGO
  • Educational institutions
  • Enterprises and other organizations

In this division of subjects that are contributing to the security of the state, we find that we can put the special police forces inside of the conventional security subjects. Both Army (Ministry of Defence) and Police (Ministry of Interior) can have Special Forces in their organizations. Those Forces can be similar in their structure but the legal framework is different, so the engagement of these Forces is depending on the situation.

There is no serious clash with terrorism and organized crime without special forces. They are the last pillar of that fight but not the least. The last blow in the fight is almost always given by this kind of forces and that is why they are a substantial part of the system.