Combating organized crime: guidelines, prevention, comprehensive strategy. Report on action programme, Cardiff 1998

OBJECTIVE: to propose a draft Council resolution on prevention of organised crime. SUBSTANCE: The draft resolution aims to complement and reinforce the action plan to combat organised crime adopted in 1997 (COS0548). Its objective is to establish an overall strategy for combating crime by proposing guidelines for prevention of organised crime applicable to all Member States and measures arising from these guidelines to be implemented by the Commission and the Member States. (1) The guidelines propose: - developing national programmes to combat organised crime, in line with changing circumstances; - increasing knowledge and experience in this area through research programmes, closer cooperation between Member States and the Commission, common definitions, standards and methods of prevention, exchanges of information with applicant countries and international organisations working in this area, compiling a code of good practice on prevention, etc.; - increasing cooperation with the Member States' decentralised authorities in implementing prevention plans (relevant social groups, the commercial sector and local administrative bodies); the Member States are also recommended to look into the development of certain preventive techniques (video surveillance of public places etc.) and monitor procedures for the award of public contracts; action should also be taken with regard to drugs, petty crime and crime prevention within political parties; - increased information to the widest possible public on the dangers of organised crime (through media projects). (2) With regard to measures, the draft resolution draws the attention of all the authorities concerned (including local authorities and regions) to coordinated implementation of prevention activities. The Commission is invited to draft a report by the end of 2000 on existing Community instruments for crime prevention and to make proposals on the most effective prevention measures. This report should also indicate how the measures could be adopted at Community level in the light of the Treaty of Amsterdam. The Member States are called upon to set up bodies at local level to discuss and study relevant proposals and exchange information on their respective preventive programmes. Contact points should be set up to facilitate exchanges of information. The Member States are called upon to report to the Council by the end of 2000 on the measures taken. The Council could then decide on further measures on the prevention of organised crime. �