According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), there are four different aspects of globalization, which include trade, capital and investment movement, migration and movement of individuals, and the dissemination of knowledge. Since World War II, there has been a shift from a world of distinct national economies to one where national economies come together to form a global economy. The increase in world trade, foreign direct investment, as well as the advancement of technology to facilitate better mobility through air transport and seaborne transit has led to the globalization of crime ( Aguilar-Millan et al., 2008 ). The commitment of crimes on a global platform has made it impossible for nations to tackle these problems individuals. Thus, through facilitating international crimes, globalization has had a significant impact on policing modern society.
The Concept and Aspects of Globalization
Globalization has helped integrate national economies. Today, there is a significant interaction between national economies, particularly through international trade and foreign direct investment. Besides, the ability to transfer capital from one market to another has helped intensify the impact of a change in one economy on other countries’ economies. Aside from the economic aspects of globalization, there are social and political aspects in which globalization has affected the police, policing, and criminal behaviors ( Aguilar-Millan et al., 2008 ). The growth of internet technology has amplified the effect of globalization. The globalization of mass communication and travel has promoted the transfer and sharing of information and cross-cultural interactions between individuals from different countries. However, at the same time, global dissemination of knowledge has promoted the propagation of existing crimes as well as the development of new criminal activities. The globalization of various factors, including the economy, investment, communication, and travel, has led to the introduction of new criminal problems, which necessitates new adoptions for efficient policing of the society.
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The Globalization of Crime
Globalization, through the opening up of national borders, has developed numerous opportunities for criminal and illegal activities. Globalization has promoted strategic alliances among criminals from different nations. The advent of speedy communication channels promotes effective communication and sharing of information, which is essential for pulling out organized crimes ( Aguilar-Millan et al., 2008 ). Criminal groups that would previously not deal with each can now form alliances of convenience, particularly with the development of electronic fund transfer. The electronic fund transfer makes the funding of criminal activities in any area around the globe easier. Globalization, therefore, has led to an increase in the number of criminal activities, particularly terrorism.
The growth of international trade has also helped in the development of crime through the provision of new platforms for criminal activities. The air courier services have been used in the trafficking of illicit drugs. In addition, water transport, in the form of seaborne containerized trade, has also provided drug traffickers with a simpler and quicker option for the supply of illegal drugs ( Aguilar-Millan et al., 2008 ). The immense transport network between nations has also facilitated other crimes such as human smuggling. The level of corruption, especially in the entry point of some countries, has increased to support the occurrence of drug and human trafficking.
Globalization has helped place international criminals outside the reaches of jurisdictions in which some crimes are perpetrated. Criminals have managed to walk free since laws can only work within a given jurisdiction. It is difficult for international crimes to be broken down into jurisdictions. Besides, the funds, which are not taxed and are transferred electronically, make the investigating of criminal money difficult. Besides, access to criminal financial information is difficult due to the high levels of encryptions. Moreover, the internet facilitates the simultaneous perpetration of crime in more than one jurisdiction ( Aguilar-Millan et al., 2008 ). Therefore, unless these countries have working collaboration to address the crime, it might be difficult to hold the criminals accountable.
The globalization of mass communication and the internet has promoted the development of new crimes that are specific to electronic media. Today, criminal activities such as cyberbullying, child pornography, and identity test have become common due to the global internet connection ( Aguilar-Millan et al., 2008 ). Most of the cyber crimes are committed in a manner that transcends traditional, local, state, and national boundaries; a locally committed crime can be globalized with the aid of the Internet. The commitment of crime at a global level, for instance, fraudulent activities and cyberbullying, makes it difficult for the dismantling of these crimes into the jurisdiction and hence challenging to address.
Impact of Globalization on Policing Modern Society
The primary objective of most criminal law enforcement efforts is to immobilize criminals. The process of immobilization involves the identification of the criminals, arresting them, gathering evidence, conviction, and eventually imprisoning them. Globalization has led to the development of challenges, which makes the immobilization process difficult. The effective electronic fund transfer technology makes the acquisition of evidence for indictment difficult, while the problem of jurisdiction makes the resolving of international criminal activities challenging ( United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime, 2010 ). The successful immobilization of criminals requires three primary elements, which include information, evidence, and criminal. However, the dispersion of these elements due to globalization means that they are less likely to be found within the physical jurisdiction of the investigating nation.
Transnational police cooperation has been developed to help address transnational organized crimes. As mentioned earlier, juridical constrain is a major problem when addressing international crime. Therefore, in order to eliminate the limitations of lacking jurisdictions, transnational police cooperation has been employed to combat cross-border crime. In the case of a crime, law enforcement agencies in a given jurisdiction can rely on partners or certain networks in other jurisdictions to take action on criminals ( United Nations Office on Drugs, & Crime, 2010 ). Transnational police engagement includes cooperation, horizontal integration, and vertical integration. Cooperation takes place between independent police departments to facilitate the sharing of information without the need for change to the police system. Horizontal integration, on the other hand, involves the acquisition of authority to operate in another physical jurisdiction. Finally, the development of the Interpol is as a result of vertical integration. The created police organization has the power to operate internationally ( United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime, 2010 ). Interpol has managed to acquire a customary status as an intergovernmental organization, with a membership of 190 countries. There has been the development of transnational and supra-national policing structures to help address transnational organized crimes.
Other than the development of translational police cooperation to deal with international crimes, local police forces have also developed greater attention to international crimes. Local forces have been forced to develop new skills and technologies to help deal with international criminals. Effective knowledge of international crimes has helped these forces to effectively liaise with other forces through informal as well as government-initiated policing development to address organized crime.
In summary, globalization, whether economic, social, or political, has led to the development of new platforms for crimes. The execution of crime on an international basis has led to the development of challenges, particularly juridical constraints, which makes the traditional policing models ineffective. The increased interconnection through the advanced internet technology and transport systems has facilitated the growth of organized crimes such as terrorism, drug trafficking, and human smuggling, among others. To address the new criminal problem, transnational and supra-national policing cooperation has been adopted. The coordination between forces from different jurisdictions helps in bringing the three elements of immobilization of criminals, which are information, evidence, and perpetrators, within reach of the law enforcement officers.
Reference
United Nations Office on Drugs, & Crime. (2010). The Globalization of Crime [electronic Resource]: A Transnational Organized Crime Threat Assessment . United Nations Publications.
Aguilar-Millan, S., Foltz, J. E., Jackson, J., & Oberg, A. (2008). The globalization of crime. The Futurist , 42 (6), 41-46.
