Global Scans · Crime · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Crime is morphing away from traditional methods to more sophisticated technological approaches. A decline of traditional hierarchical criminal groups and networks will be accompanied by the expansion of a virtual criminal underground made up of individual criminal entrepreneurs. At the same time, forward-looking agencies are equipping themselves with smart technologies to outfox the criminals. Keep up to date with crime changes below.

• [New] The AFP and Fiji Police Force will co-host an Organised Crime Summit to disrupt and target criminals undermining health, financial systems, social cohesion and sovereignty in the Pacific. Australian Federal Police
• [New] Terrorist threats in the Sahel, Lake Chad Basin, and northern Mozambique will be met with targeted, temporary, intelligence-driven partnerships - not large deployments. Pan African Visions
• [New] Police in Oregon are warning that AI apps like CrimeRadar are generating misinformation based on hallucinated police radio chatter, as Central Oregon Daily News reports. Futurism
• [New] The UK government has kicked off plans to ramp up police use of facial recognition, undeterred by a mounting civil liberties backlash and fresh warnings that any expansion risks turning public spaces into biometric dragnets. The Register
• [New] The Nigerian government has signalled plans to publicly identify individuals and networks financing terrorism, as part of broader efforts to address extremism, banditry, and organized crime that increasingly threaten national and regional security. Counter Extremism Project
• [New] Real-world trials of live facial recognition by UK and European police lack rigorous oversight and could lead to the 'incremental and insidious removal' of the conditions that underpin basic freedoms. Law Gazette
• [New] Rising global security threats, including terrorism and geopolitical tensions, have led nations to focus more on enhancing their defence capabilities. Polaris
• [New] The threat of Islamist terrorist radicalization among young people in Ireland is growing. Counter Extremism Project
• [New] U.S. officials have warned about the growing number of drone sightings involving criminal groups. Latin Times
• [New] Security researchers have uncovered flaws in encrypted radio systems used by police and military agencies around the world, exposing vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to decode traffic in real time. BiometricUpdate.com
• [New] The US law enforcement authorities want direct access to police and immigration databases of EU member states, to identify people as a threat to the US. IGS - Legally Trained Consultants
• [New] In the next few years, AI-based terrorism could produce forms of attack never imagined in previous eras, including automated attack scripts, measured psychological manipulation, and personalized propaganda-something impossible to do manually. Modern Diplomacy
• [New] Interpol's General Assembly has issued a resolution addressing the growing threat of transnational scam centers, criminal hubs linked to large-scale fraud, human trafficking and abuse, including schemes such as voice phishing, romance scams, investment fraud and cryptocurrency scams. Crypto Briefing
• [New] Interpol has officially designated scam-compound networks, which utilize crypto, as a global threat, emphasizing their links to organized crime, human trafficking, and forced labour. Crypto Briefing
• [New] There is a risk of terrorist violence, including terrorist attacks and other activity in Mexico, it adds. ABC News
• [New] 44% of respondents expressed concern that terrorists or criminal organizations could detonate a nuclear device within US territory within the next ten years, indicating broad anxiety about nuclear security beyond state-level conflicts. Yeni Safak
• [New] The Electronic Frontier Foundation - a non-profit digital rights group based in San Francisco - argues that integration of Flock's ALPR technology with its Aerodome drone equipment is a police surveillance combo poised to elevate privacy threats to civilians. Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle
• [New] Cyber cargo theft is becoming a concerning threat to global supply chains, as hackers and organized crime groups collaborate to steal cargo in transit. Tank Transport
• [New] Polish prosecutors opened a terrorism-related investigation, citing the threat of a major rail disaster. SOFREP
• [New] The world can no longer afford to overlook the resurgence of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil, as its spillover effects threaten not only regional but also global security. Modern Diplomacy
• [New] Iran-aligned militias - including groups designated as terrorist organizations - pose a threat to Iraq's stability and sovereignty. SyriacPress

Last updated: 13 December 2025