Ask not what crimes you might commit, but how many different ways you might get caught.
Opportunity seems to be the key factor in any crime. Like a seagull raiding a bin-full of leftover lunches at the beach, or a cockroach finding that gap in your kitchen wall to dine on the results of your incompetent cleaning, human beings are driven to commit crimes because:
a) they need more than they have (emotional, physical, whatever)
b) the opportunity arises to get some
c) they honestly believe they will get away with it (except, of course for that hardened minority that really don't care)
Try it – try leaving your car window down and your wallet on the front seat. Without a hardened crim or prison escapee in site, your wallet will be gone in no time. An ordinary citizen will see a chance to get something for free, and take it.
Now with the Internet, anyone with a computer and a modem could start to thinking that they can build a crime syndicate and make big bucks, or at least wreak a bit of havoc in the corporate world. Think again buster. In the face of all this new opportunity for crime, a new strategy of law enforcement has been devised to stop you in your tracks.
The politicians and crime fighters can finally see the big picture. Rather than running around under-staffed and under-financed chasing criminals down back alleys and following the dust trails they leave behind, the AFP has undergone a systemic revolution to make the whole idea of committing a crime far less appealing. By making the chance of getting caught exponentially higher and encouraging a unified, multi-agency approach to the problem of crime, The Australian Federal Police as a law enforcement agency has become a world leader. Major breakthroughs in levels of cooperation between other enforcement agencies, along with award winning and record-breaking results have set the standard for the future. In case you are sitting there thinking - "yeah but they won't catch me", check out their web page. Read the news. Think again.
The AFP Home Page - www.afp.gov.au , details the extent to which the technological revolution, globalisation and enlightened strategies are changing the playing field irreversibly in favour of the good guys. Organised crime is now up against the biggest organised crime-fighting network in history. It is local and global cooperation on a scale never before seen. Check out the major achievements - record drug busts, smashing international syndicates, a swag full of web site awards! Their Annual Report even won first place at the Institute of Public Administration.
For those of you who might see all this effective law enforcement as a threat to your privacy, you may be surprised to learn that even the cops are recommending alternative approaches to areas such as drug enforcement. The personal freedoms and hopes of rehabilitation for end users have been compromised in the cross-fire with major players. Older strategies have also caused inherently victimless crimes to create victims as addicts rob and steal to pay the exorbitant prices a black market demands. Mr Comrie, the Chief Commissioner of the Victorian Police has commented that that the personal use of illicit drugs is more of an issue for the health system than for the legal system. The AFP is going after the heavy dudes, and leaving a little more lee-way for private, victimless acts of stupidity to be referred to doctors and psychologists.
Meanwhile, the AFP's increasingly trans-juristictional approach to the more universally despised criminal acts such as theft, fraud and violence has meant that slowly but surely our streets, our houses and our bank accounts are becoming safer and safer. 'Crims' used to be able to flee to another state or another country to avoid capture. There was always a chance of "hiding out", and even if found, creating more paperwork than it was worth to be hauled in. The crime-fighting web is now one big trawling net of intelligence that no one stupid enough to challenge it could feel immune from detection.
So, while the temptation to commit a crime in this day and age is becoming infinitesimal, all we have to deal with is the legacy of creating hardened crims who actually like getting caught because they prefer jail to the outside world. Somehow, I think that problem is up to the politicians and the wider community to deal with. Let the AFP carry on their incredibly effective job - "To Fight Crime and Win".
As the devil whispers in your left ear "go on, do it, do it" the long arm of the law is tapping you on the right shoulder, saying "don't bother - it's just not worth it... have you considered counselling?"
Features of the AFP site:
What's new - all the latest major busts, new strategies, awards and job opportunities.
Media releases: news, busts, public interest stories
Publications, Speeches, Links, Client Services
Virtual Tour - takes you through the activities of the AFP, where they operate, how they go about their work.
Crimestoppers
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