17 October 2010
Media Release
International Serious and Organised Crime Conference opens in Melbourne
A major international conference focused on the fight against international serious and
organised crime opens in Melbourne tomorrow morning, Monday, 18 October.
The first ever International Serious and Organised Crime Conference (ISOC) is hosted by
the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) and sponsored by Victoria Police, the Australian
Crime Commission (ACC), Australian Federal Police and CrimTrac.
The conference will be opened by Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland and
keynote speakers will include John Lawler, Australian Crime Commission CEO; William
Hughes, former Director General of the UK Serious and Organised Crime Agency; Gary
Lewis, Regional Representative for the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime; Steve
Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Office of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation; and Professor Andrew Hughes, former Australian UN police chief now with
the University of Wollongong Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention.
Chief Commissioner Overland said the conference presented an invaluable opportunity for
law enforcement agencies from across the world to share their knowledge and experiences
in investigating and targeting organised crime.
“Organised crime is a key issue faced by law enforcement agencies around the world. Many
jurisdictions are using a range of methods to effectively investigate and target serious and
organised crime,” Mr Overland said.
“It is important that we come together to share our knowledge and individual experiences so
we can continue to disrupt organised and serious criminal activity."
AIC Director, Dr Adam Tomison, said ISOC would be attended by more than 300 delegates
over two days at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, who will hear from top
Australian and international law enforcement and criminal justice practitioners, researchers
and policymakers from agencies involved in combating and understanding organised crime.
“The Institute has felt for some time that it was vitally important to provide an opportunity for
law enforcement and criminal justice experts to discuss the key issues facing us all in
combating serious and organised crime,” Dr Tomison said.
Organised crime places a massive burden on international economies and communities in
terms of lost revenue and costs to justice, health and social systems, with the ACC currently
estimating the annual cost of organised crime in Australia at $10 billion.
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Crime Commission CEO, John Lawler, said ISOC would explore a wide range of issues that
impact on our understanding of organised crime today and the strategies to combat it.
“The organised crime environment is dynamic and continually evolving — it touches on a
much broader scope of disciplines than the traditional law enforcement community. This
inaugural conference is an excellent opportunity for academics, government agencies and
industry to collaborate on best-practice and analyse local and international trends,”
Mr Lawler said.
CrimTrac CEO, Ben McDevitt, said the future of Australian law enforcement relies on
effective information sharing and that forums such as these highlight the importance of
collaboration.
“As a provider of information sharing solutions, CrimTrac is focused on developing and
delivering the technology police and law enforcement agencies need to ensure a
co-ordinated approach to investigations.”
The conference will cover more than 40 topics in both plenary and concurrent sessions,
including expert analyses of organised crime groups such as the Italian and Russian mafias,
Colombian cartels and Chinese triads; cybercrime, fraud and identity theft; people smuggling
and people trafficking; and examine the nexus between organised crime and terrorism.
Other major themes will include the importance of intelligence-sharing and partnerships,
strengthening integrity and fighting corruption, innovation, performance measurement and
crime prevention strategies.
AFP National Manager Serious and Organised Crime, Assistant Commissioner Kevin
Zuccato, who will present on the AFP’s serious organised crime model to delegates, will also
provide closing remarks on behalf of Commissioner Tony Negus.
“Conferences such as this one play a critical role in ensuring that law enforcement agencies
keep pace with the rapidly changing nature of organised crime. They allow us to share
experiences and meet people in the same field of endeavour,” Assistant Commissioner
Zuccato said.
AIC media contact: Scott Kelleher Telephone: 02 6260 9244; Mobile: 0418 159 525.
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