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] So-called vibe crime will accelerate cyber crime by enabling autonomous, end-to-end attack chains powered by agentic AI. Black Arrow Cyber Consulting
• [New] All police forces in England and Wales will have dedicated rape and sexual offences teams by 2029. The Guardian
• [New] The risks that biased AI tools and outputs have caused in the past have been documented before LLMs became widely used: they reproduce biases when used to filter applications for hiring, and against people of colour in criminal justice systems in the United States. Al-Fanar Media
• [New] Fiji Police and AFP maintain active monitoring and response protocols to manage emerging threats and personnel risks. Islands Business
• [New] The Pacific Policing Initiative enhances capability sharing and focused targeting of evolving threats, and Intelligence exchange underpins efforts to understand and disrupt criminal networks impacting multiple countries. Islands Business
• [New] Protecting America and Americans from numerous types of external threats whether from a state adversary like China, terrorist organizations such as Al Qa'ida, Hamas, ISIS and IRGC, or trafficking in people, drugs or weapons are important national security missions. American Enterprise Institute - AEI
• [New] Today's threat is a hybrid monster - a lethal mix of cheap attack drones, encrypted cyber propaganda, and transnational crime syndicates that fund terror groups like Al-Shabaab. Streamline
• [New] In the next few months, the US and its allies will be busy putting into practice strategies and enforcement actions that seek to counter the influence of organized crime, terrorism, and hostile nation-states on the ambitious 'America First' and centricity of financial services agenda of the NSS. Fincrime Central
• [New] By clearing the mainstream digital channels from economic crime, the US and its allies, operating according to the principles embedded in the NSS, will be increasing the attractiveness of crypto as a means of investment and expand economic activity and investment. Fincrime Central
• [New] 2026 will mark a decisive acceleration in AI maturity across financial crime and compliance. IBS Intelligence
• [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

Last updated: 20 December 2025