Reframing Organised Crime as a Strategic UK Intelligence Concern

State actors are increasingly using criminal intermediaries to conduct hybrid operations across Europe. Although serious and organised crime is formally included in UK intelligence prioritisation mechanisms, Cathy Haenlein and Matt Ince argue that it has been underweighted as a strategic intelligence priority even as it has become central to this hostile state operating model. The article examines past and present treatment of the issue, how this sits within an evolving threat landscape, and the implications for positioning serious and organised crime as a strategic intelligence concern moving forward.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
The RUSI Journal
Published
2026-06-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/03071847.2026.2681444
Primary Topic
Intelligence, Security, War Strategy
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Reframing Organised Crime as a Strategic UK Intelligence Concern

Matt Ince, Cathy Haenlein
The RUSI Journal
Intelligence, Security, War Strategy
article

Reframing Organised Crime as a Strategic UK Intelligence Concern

Matt Ince, Cathy Haenlein
article en

Abstract

State actors are increasingly using criminal intermediaries to conduct hybrid operations across Europe. Although serious and organised crime is formally included in UK intelligence prioritisation mechanisms, Cathy Haenlein and Matt Ince argue that it has been underweighted as a strategic intelligence priority even as it has become central to this hostile state operating model. The article examines past and present treatment of the issue, how this sits within an evolving threat landscape, and the implications for positioning serious and organised crime as a strategic intelligence concern moving forward.

The RUSI Journal
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Intelligence, Security, War Strategy
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