Organized crime is nowadays one of the most complex and dangerous threats to the security of states and citizens’ economic stability, personal safety and security of their property. Its multiple types, its potentially highly destructive infiltration into different spheres of social life, financial power of its perpetrators and constant efforts to increase this power, its transnational and transcontinental character, violent actions and systemic consequences in the form of corruption and money laundering represent constant warnings of its dangers which threaten all societies, institutions and citizens equally.

Rather than being focused only on the creation of favorable conditions for its survival, organized crime is also always aimed at expanding the scope of its operation, which means that it will choose neither the area nor the conditions it will use to generate its criminal proceeds. If we also add the abuse of modern technology, as the core of its future manifestations and expansion, then it is completely clear that organized criminal activities are shifting towards a wide range of new possibilities and that it will be increasingly difficult to predict their course.

Highly mobile, complex and intertwined types of organized crime represent a global challenge, which requires broad international cooperation due to the objective limitations of national capacities. The exchange of intelligence, information and experience, establishment and implementation of joint operations, timely adoption of appropriate legal solutions, as well as strengthening of the existing and development of new cooperation processes, certainly belong to international mechanisms that combat organized crime more successfully, raise the level of security and establish better protection of citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms.

An important link in this mechanism is the strategic approach, with its proactive focus on the existing and future security threats. The analysis and assessment of the threat from organized crime and, closely related, serious forms of crime is pivotal in providing complete and up-to-date knowledge about the scope, pace, variety and manifestations of these types of crime, as well as about the consequences and factors that maintain, encourage and develop them, both nationally and internationally. In this context, the Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA) is one of the most important tools which determines key priorities and creates a good basis for the adoption of relevant strategic and operational decisions, as a prerequisite for a successful fight against modern types of serious and organized crime.

The Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia has been included in the preparation of SOCTA using the Europol methodology since 2015, when this strategic document was drafted for the first time in accordance with the obligation contained in the Action Plan for Chapter 24. The next SOCTA was prepared four years later, in 2019. What we have in front of us is the third SOCTA, as another testimony of the Republic of Serbia’s full commitment to the implementation of standards and best practices in the fight against all forms of organized and serious crime.

In addition to its already mentioned primary role, we expect that the content and quality of this SOCTA, like the previous two, will represent the starting basis for new scientific and professional research and findings, shaping of broader preventive measures and activities, and adoption of related strategic documents and plans.

SOCTA should also be understood as part of the major efforts which the Republic of Serbia is making in order to protect the integrity of the national security and to improve conditions for the fight against serious security threats, such as organized and serious crime. Its preparation is an integral part of the strategic orientation of the Republic of Serbia towards the strengthening of regional and wider international police cooperation.

We would like to thank the US State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and its implementation partner in Serbia, the US Department of Justice International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) for their financial support to the development and publication of the Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment. We owe special thanks to the University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies in Belgrade, which placed its entire capacity at our disposal and provided professional and technical assistance in the preparation and publication of this strategic document.