• E4J University Module Series: Firearms

• Module 7: Firearms, Terrorism and Organized Crime

• Introduction and learning outcomes

• Key issues

  • Firearms trafficking as a cross cutting element present in many other crimes
  • Organized crime and organized criminal groups
  • Criminal gangs
  • Terrorist groups
  • Interconnections between organized criminal groups and terrorist groups in relation to firearms trafficking
  • Gangs – Organized crime and terrorism: An evolving continuum
  • International response
  • Conclusion
  • References

• Exercises

• Possible class structure

• Core reading

• Advanced reading

• Student assessment

• Additional teaching tools

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• First published in April 2020
  

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  This module is a resource for lecturers  

Gangs – Organized crime and terrorism: an evolving continuum

The relationship between gangs, organized crime and terrorism are in a constant state of evolution. Building on Makarenko’s concept of the continuum between OCGs and terrorism, Smith et al. (2013: 11) enlarge and apply this concept (in Figure 7.8 below) to all three categories of criminal groups, placing gangs on the far left of the figure with the lowest level of sophistication, terrorism on the far right. Organized crime is placed in the middle, acting as a kind of buffer, or connector, between gangs (and gang members) and terrorism (terrorists). For additional information on this point, see Module 16 on Linkages between Organized Crime and Terrorism of the E4J University Module Series on Organized Crime and on Counter-Terrorism.

Figure 7.8 The Continuum of OCGs and Terrorism – Adapted from Makarenko (Smith et al., 2013)

Next: International response

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