2024/2025 CEPOL Research & Science Conference Rome

CEPOL Research & Science Conference 2024/2025

Tackling the world of High-Risk Criminal Networks (HRCN)

25 – 27 March 2025

Economic and Financial Police School of the Italian Guardia di Finanza, in Ostia, Rome

The social and economic impact of organised crime is growing. Criminal networks engage in corruption to reinforce their influence in the spheres of economy and public administration, and are increasingly involved in drug trafficking, money laundering, firearms and human trafficking, organised property crime, distinct types of fraud, and more. These criminal activities can lead to increased violence and crime rates, particularly in areas where organised crime is prevalent.

Scientific research has been helping design the response strategies to these threats. CEPOL recognizes the need to assess how those recent achievements and training may contribute to the success of criminal investigations in the light of operational experience. Therefore, it will bring together academics, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and experts from different fields to discuss and share knowledge about the complexities, differentiations, specificities, and characteristics of High-Risk Criminal Networks (HRCN) in their diverse forms to better act towards their prevention and repression.

Tackling the world of High-Risk Criminal Networks (HRCN) has been chosen as the main theme of the CEPOL R&S Conference 2024/2025.

The conference aims to explore the scientific conversations currently looking at trends, challenges, leading practices, and opportunities to disrupt and dismantle HRCN as an EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats) priority. The shared knowledge can significantly strengthen the effectiveness of the multidisciplinary collaboration at the political, judicial, and law enforcement levels against HRCN and will help enhance the learning strategies and outcomes of relevant CEPOL training products delivered to the EU law enforcement community.

The speakers will focus on the following topics:

• Emerging trends in the landscape of HRCN;
• Challenges and best practises on combatting HRCN, including the external dimension;
• Societal Impact of High-Risk Criminal Networks;
• Opportunities for multidisciplinary Collaboration to fight HRCN;
• Finding mitigation measures for prevention of corruption (especially in harbours increasingly undermined by the HRCN in key positions), money laundering, and financial frauds;
• Raising awareness on technologies to fight HRCN;
• The best way to protect witnesses;
• Prevention and administrative approach.

Research findings and conference papers will be published in the special edition of CEPOL’s European Law Enforcement Research Bulletin. 

We look forward to welcome at the conference researchers, academics, law enforcement and judicial practitioners, policymakers, PhD’s, master and bachelor students and experts from different fields who are interested in exploring the complexities of High-Risk Criminal Networks. We expect around 300 participants.  

About the CEPOL Research & Science Conferences

Since 2003, the CEPOL Research & Science Conferences provide a stimulating intellectual environment that brings together ideas and perspectives of practitioners, trainers and educators in policing and other areas of law enforcement, with researchers and academic scholars from Europe and the international sphere. The conference is aiming at the participation of practitioners from European law enforcement forces and institutions, as well as affiliated postgraduate researchers and academic scholars. The conference language is English. There is no conference fee, but prior registration and acceptance by the organisers is obligatory. Papers discussed during CEPOL Research and Science Conferences are published in a special Conference edition, so that ideas and knowledge can be shared within the law enforcement community, fostering and facilitating broader discussions and becoming a source of inspiration for the future.