Serious Organized Crime in the UK Aug 3 2009

Between 25,000 and 30,000 criminals are involved in the serious organized crime business in Britain that is worth more than £30bn a year, according to a government study.

The joint report, by the Cabinet Office's strategy unit and the Home Office, warns of an explosion in new criminal activities as a result of the recession, including sharp increases in "phishing" - taking over bank accounts - the flourishing trade in counterfeit goods and a boom in other types of financial fraud.

The estimate of 25,000 to 30,000 involved in organized crime in Britain is said to include the "lifetime criminals who form the durable core of organized crime groups and loose criminal networks, through to the clusters of subordinates, specialists and others at the lower end of organized criminality".

The £30bn a year estimate covers the total cost of economic and social harm caused by organized crime. This figure breaks down into £17.6bn in the costs of drug-related crime, £7.8bn in financial fraud, £4.1bn in smuggling of spirits, tobacco and diesel and £2.4bn a year in organized immigration crime.