04/15/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/15/2024 23:49
Key points:
Deakin University criminology research can provide clues for law enforcement about the relationship between outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG) clubs and how to combat gang crime.
The research, led by Professor of Criminology David Bright, builds on previous research by Deakin and the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) that examined the inner workings within and between rival OMCG clubs.
Previous studies of OMCG clubs have tended to focus on offending at the individual level, but do not address the question of how gangs collaborate together in crime, or the role that club structures and hierarchies play in setting up these collaborations,' Professor Bright says.
'Our research delves into the interactions between club members such as co-offending in criminal activities.'
The research reveals that office bearers - such as club presidents - act as brokers to organise collaboration between rival clubs, using lower ranked members to carry out offences on behalf of more senior members.
'Lower ranked members are more likely to offend than office bearers. This supports previous research showing that leaders tend to maintain distance from direct criminal activities, so they aren't at risk of arrest or conviction,' Professor Bright says.
'Our findings suggest that office bearers, rather than simply offending less, may play some role in directing or influencing the offending of other members from behind the scenes, while taking care not to become directly involved in crime and risk attracting the attention of law enforcement.'
'We also found that when lower ranked club members engaged in co-offending with members from other OMCG clubs, they were more likely to co-offend with members of the same rank.''
The fascinating insights come after extensive analyses of de-identified NSW police records.Professor Bright says law enforcement needs to examine and combat these criminal networks in its efforts to disrupt and prevent illegal activity.
'Specifically, intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies should collect data on co-offending within and across OMCG clubs and seek to disrupt connections between some of the key players.'
'Our results suggest the focus of law enforcement should be on the co-offending networks involved in serious crime such as organised crime, rather than on specific clubs.'
The research was published in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology.
Professor David Bright is Professor of Criminology in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation. He conducts research on criminal networks, organised crime, and illicit firearms markets.
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