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16 Eur. J. on Crim. Pol'y & Rsch. 1 (2010)

handle is hein.journals/eurjcpr16 and id is 1 raw text is: Eur J Crim Policy Res (2010) 16:1-13 DOI 10.1007/s10610-009-9114-y Exploring Itinerant Crime Groups Stijn Van Daele - Tom Vander Beken Published online: 3 February 2010 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 Abstract Starting a decade ago, property crimes by Eastern European crime gangs have gained attention of Belgian law enforcement agencies. Due to the mobile nature of these groups, the term 'itinerant crime groups' has been used. The aim of this article is to explore what is incorporated in this term. By analyzing 27 case files, a large degree of variation is revealed. Groups differ in size, organizational structure, offender characteristics, the crimes in which they are involved and the methods they use. Following these features, two main types of itinerant crime groups can be distinguished, each with their own diversity. As such, the observed heterogeneity is larger than we might suspect by looking at the policy definition of the phenomenon. Keywords Case file analysis - Eastern European crime - Itinerant crime groups- Organized crime - Property crime Itinerant Crime Groups Defined Organised property crime and, in particular, so-called itinerant crime groups have received considerable attention in Belgium since the start of the 21st century. The phenomenon was first observed in the late 1990s by the Belgian police force (De Ruyver 2006a). On the basis of a limited number of case files (Dupuis 2004), the authorities believed they had discovered a new phenomenon. After half a decade of fine-tuning, the phenomenon was defined and recorded in Belgian criminal policy, in the so-called Kadernota Integrale Veiligheid (Belgian Ministerial 2004). Policies concerning these crime groups, and how to define their members, were updated by the government in a revised action plan (22/03/2007), when itinerant crime groups were identified as having the following characteristics: - an association of criminals; - systematically committing residential burglaries or burglaries of commercial properties, including ram raids, cargo thefts, metal thefts or thefts of construction vehicles and materials; - originating mainly from the former Eastern Bloc; S. Van Daele (E) - T. Vander Beken Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy (IRCP), Ghent University, Universiteitstraat 4, BE 9000 Gent, Belgium e-mail: Stijn.VanDaele@UGent.be 4Z Springer

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