The measurement of organized crime is difficult due to the nature of the crimes committed and the measures that criminal enterprises take to conceal them. The problems with measurement were illustrated by the case of drug trafficking. An alternative method to measuring organized crime assesses illicit product markets and flows. This method has been applied to transnational organized crime both globally and regionally.
Organized criminal groups have become less important than the illicit markets they exploit. Successful intervention and prosecution strategies aimed at organized criminal groups do not stop the illicit activities on which they profited. Most product flows exploited by organized crime are international in nature with the source of supply and demand often in different countries or even different continents. This Module has described the role and utility of risk assessment in transnational organized crime. The importance of these assessments evaluating the local and regional organized crime situation helps in setting priorities and targeting enforcement and prevention efforts.
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