A square go: tackling organised crime where it doesn't want to be tackled

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to advocate the inclusion and development within law enforcement of relevant professional skills which will enable strategic analyses to be made of organised crime groups as economic entities; the ultimate aim being to identify and neutralise the distinctive capabilities which underpin their assessable competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach - Discussion of challenges facing law enforcement in tackling the finances of organised crime and outline of an adapted business strategy model to identify the characteristics of the competitive advantages exploited by economically successful organised crime groups. Findings - Money laundering remains a difficult crime to prosecute yet it is the key crime enabling organised crime groups to develop their influence in our democracies. Law enforcement must broaden their approach to disabling this crime by developing relevant skill sets which can analyse the distinctive capabilities of organised crime groups as competitive economic players as a means of identifying relevant options and opportunities to disrupt and dismantle them. Research limitations/implications - The development of mature business strategy skills as part of the law enforcement effort against organised crime is implied. Practical implications - Adapting the culture of law enforcement to accommodate the relevant professional skills required to effectively combat organised crime in the field of economic crime. Social implications - Protecting democracies, democratic institutions and the communities they serve through the improved effectiveness of measures taken against Organised Crime Groups. Originality/value - It is hoped the paper will encourage debate on the topic.