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] London's top cop is warning that British Jews are facing the most serious threats yet as police probe a shadowy Iran-linked group taking credit for spree of antisemitic attacks. New York Post
• [New] Four simultaneous crises - Iran/Hormuz escalation, Russian hybrid warfare at record tempo, a domestic terrorism resurgence, and chronic defence funding gaps - are interacting to produce systemic risk. Daily Intelligence Brief
• [New] Neighboring countries face heightened risks of terrorist spillover, with a jihadist-controlled Mogadishu potentially igniting renewed attacks across frontiers. HORN REVIEW
• [New] The US is separately studying the designation of Brazilian factions Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital as foreign terrorist organizations, a designation that Brazilian authorities and most independent specialists consider a sovereignty risk. The Rio Times
• [New] Funding will help develop a numberplate ID system for drones, helping police better protect UK skies and prosecute illegal users. GOV.UK
• [New] Brazil will launch a comprehensive plan against transnational criminal organizations the following week and confirmed a US-Brazil joint financial-asphyxiation track. The Rio Times
• [New] The war with Iran has increased the risk of Iranian-linked hybrid attacks and domestic terrorism, including plots against Jewish and Israeli targets, five sources said. Just Security
• [New] Researchers warn that Europe's expanding crypto reporting frameworks - including DAC8, MiCA, and TRACFIN databases - could unintentionally create highly valuable targets for criminal organizations seeking centralized pools of financial data. Cryptowisser
• [New] In different parts of Mexico, local politics operates under similar pressures: illegal economies, extortion, control of routes, capture of municipal police officers, shadowy financing, social fear, and authorities who govern with narrow margins. Mexico Solidarity Media
• [New] The Indus Waters Treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan permanently ends support for cross-border terrorism. Chronicle india Pvt. Limited
• [New] Singapore has received a strong assessment from the Financial Action Task Force for its financial crime controls, even as the watchdog flagged areas to strengthen in foreign legal structures and some proliferation financing risks. Fintech Singapore
• [New] Instructure has confirmed that a criminal threat actor accessed Canvas user information and messages, while ShinyHunters claims a far larger education-sector data haul affecting millions of students, teachers, and institutions worldwide. Cyber News Centre
• [New] Terrorism directly relating to al-Qaeda is of more concern in the United Kingdom than in any other EU country, although the threat to Europe as a whole is by no means insignificant. Elcano Royal Institute
• [New] While the UK national threat level set independently by JTAC reflects the terrorist threat in the UK, it comes against a backdrop of increased state-linked physical threats which is encouraging acts of violence, including against the Jewish community. GOV.UK
• [New] In 2026, underwriting appetite remains cautious at the primary level, particularly for risks in jurisdictions with adverse loss trends or elevated crime scores, including Georgia, Florida, Texas, California, and New York. Wholesale & Specialty Insurance | CRC Group
• [New] The Korean National Police Agency said Wednesday it will implement a Highway Special Management Plan through the end of this month, deploying more than 60% additional unmarked patrol cars on nine major expressway routes near popular travel destinations. Seoul Economic Daily
• [New] President Samia stated that Tanzania and Kenya will deepen cooperation in combating terrorism and human trafficking to strengthen cross-border security and regional peace. TanzaniaInvest
• [New] Applicants who have lived legally in Switzerland for five years, have no serious criminal record, pose no threat to security and possess basic knowledge of a national language would, in effect, be entitled to citizenship. Le News
• [New] National threat level increased to severe following Golders Green attack and increasing threat of Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorism in the UK. GOV.UK
• [New] The terrorist threat level in the UK has been rising for some time, driven by an increase in the broader Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat from individuals and small groups based in the UK. GOV.UK
• [New] Policymakers and criminal justice leaders will need to find successful ways to hire and retain officers even amid uncertain fiscal times in the coming years. Public Policy Institute of California
• [New] Discussions at the European Anti-Financial Crime Summit 2026 will likely reinforce what the 2026 Global Financial Crime Report makes clear: financial crime across the EU and UK is large-scale, organised, and increasingly interconnected. AML Intelligence
• [New] Al-Qaeda will continue to try to obtain chemical and radiological weapons and the risk of their being used in terrorist attacks in the EU is not insignificant and is on the rise. Elcano Royal Institute

Last updated: 16 May 2026