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The Beat

Criminals uniting in drug trade

The Crime Commission has revealed that criminal groups who would normally be enemies are putting their differences aside to reap the benefits ^[2] of Australia’s lucrative drug trade.

Cooperation between criminal groups is resulting in a range of harms beyond drug use itself, including murders, road accident, sexual assault and domestic violence.

PSNI’s Little Black Book

The Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Organised Crime and Crime Prevention Team has developed the Little Book of Big Scams ^[3], outlining tactics employed by organised criminals.

The product is designed to inform the public of the dangers of fraud and identity crime, and focuses on assisting vulnerable members of the community such as the elderly to safeguard themselves.

PSNI Head of Crime Prevention Davy Connery described education as the best weapon in the fight against organised crime—whether it’s committed in person or online.

Football crime

Former FIFA director of security Chris Eaton has expressed concerns of match fixing, betting fraud and wider corruption in two emerging football markets ^[4]: India and China

Eaton, who now runs the integrity department of International Centre for Sports Security, is urging governments to introduce legislation to treat betting fraud as a criminal offense and prevent sport being tarnished by crime.

In similar news; just as we thought the Essendon Football Club supplements scandal had gone away, the World Anti-Doping Agency will appeal ASADA’s verdict ^[5] which found 34 players not guilty of using banned substances. If this case is put to bed by the last week of September, we at the Beat will be surprised.

 

CT Scan

Budget wins

Amidst the budget haze, counterterrorism has won out with Treasurer Joe Hockey announcing $296m for intelligence agency ASIS over six years, and $22 million to be funnelled into countering online extremist propaganda (full details here ^[6]). The focus on combatting extremist material could bolster Australia’s current grassroots efforts. In fact, an app ^[7] developed by Curtin University that aims to strengthen positive identities amongst Muslim youth has been selected as a finalist ^[8] in a US State Department competition.

How to counter Jihad 2.0

Watch the recent US government-hearing ‘Jihad 2.0: Social Media in the Next Evolution of Terrorist Recruitment ^[9]’ with terrorism scholar heavyweights Peter Bergen, J.M. Berger, Mubin Shaikh and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross here ^[10].

They recommend working in the private sector—which has access to the communications used by recruiters and potential foreign fighters—and creating a barrage of online accounts that push out anti-Islamic State information. The government could also release footage of Islamic State that make the lifestyle look a little less appealing.

Islamic State’s leader: he’s fine

Contrary to reports that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was seriously injured, the Pentagon announced that he’s actually in good shape ^[11]. But does targeting ISIS’ leadership make a difference anyway? Writing on War on the Rocks, Benjamin Runkle concludes ^[12] that ‘Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s condition is less important than the health and vitality of the Obama administration’s broader strategy to defeat ISIL.’ For some visuals, Business Insider has a slick diagram ^[13] of Islamic State’s leadership structure.

 

Checkpoint

This week on Checkpoint it’s all about the Australian Border Force

$400m boost for the Australian Border Force

Last year’s Federal Budget granted $711m over six years to the creation of the Australian Border Force (ABF). This week the Government allocated ^[14] an extra $400m to the agency which is expected to start operations from 1 July.

This major overhaul ^[15] to Australia’s border protection portfolio ^[16] involves drawing together operational border, investigations, compliance, detention and enforcement functions. The combined force will comprise over thirteen thousand staff members whose focus ^[17] will be to manage a system of border processes related to the flow of people, and goods to and from the nation.

First Australian Border Force commissioner will sit alongside the Chief of the Defence Force, ASIO’s Director-General and the AFP’s Commissioner.

Roman Quaedvlieg will be appointed ^[18] the first commissioner of the nation’s newest security agency for a five-year term. Quaedvlieg will not only face the major complex organisational changes from the merger, but also a new decision-making environment in which greater intelligence and law-enforcement powers will make the ABF a major player in deterring Australia’s transnational organised crime threats.

Under Quaedvlieg’s command, the consolidated agency is expected to be Australia’s frontline force, testing not only his judgement, political awareness and executive skills but also utilise his law enforcement background which made him the best candidate for the role.