Roraima Andriani is the Director of Interpol’s Organized and Emerging Crimes Directorate. In a job “where women are rare, and those making it to top management are even rarer”, Andriani coordinates the main international police organization’s strategic and operational activities dealing with a wide range of transnational crimes, ranging from drug and human trafficking through to financial fraud and environmental crimes. In the following interview, as a privileged observer Andriani shares her insight into how organized crime is evolving and using new digital tools to fragment trafficking in illegal products, making it even harder to combat.
How is organized crime changing?
In the current scenario, even what we consider traditional crimes – like drug trafficking – are adapting to technological change. One of the elements that characterizes crime today is the use of the internet: it’s what we call enabling crime, that is, the use of digital tools for illegal trafficking. Counterfeit product trafficking, for instance, is increasingly being conducted via social media, thanks to the anonymity assured by such channels. This change poses new challenges in the fight against crime: while in the past containers were the main means of transporting large quantities of illicit products around the world, now organized crime is relying on piecemeal consignments. The distribution strategy is more fragmented, making it tougher to intercept products and carry out seizures.
In your view, which “emerging crimes” raise the most concerns?
Without question, one of the most worrying is environmental crime. Unfortunately, many states – including in Europe – do not consider this a priority, but it is a phenomenon that will have major consequences on our daily lives in the medium and long term. In fact, we’re talking about crimes that have an impact on biodiversity, natural resources, and environmental quality. Drawing a distinction between organized crime (whose sole objective is making profit) and terrorism (more geared towards ideological ends) is undoubtedly very useful. But there is a gray area of illegal activities which in any event contribute to supporting terrorism, ranging from corruption to trafficking in illicit substances, through to the counterfeiting of travel documents. Indeed, terrorists often look to organized crime for logistical and organizational support.
Are Interpol’s counter-crime tools fit-for-purpose in this new scenario?
There is no doubt that terrorist attacks, starting with the one on the Twin Towers, have boosted the preparedness of police organizations and the honing of the tools at their disposal. Western police forces, in particular, have achieved very high levels of specialization and sophistication. Of course, Interpol has 190 member countries, and we cannot profess that all meet the same standards, whether from an administrative point of view or in terms of how well they’re equipped. This is part of the reason why one of the purviews of the organization is tied to the development and capacity building of countries and regions that do not have adequate financial resources and tools.
Given the country’s frontline experience in fighting organized crime, is it possible to talk of a distinctly Italian approach?
Yes, absolutely. The rules on criminals turned state’s evidence and the associated sentence-reduction measures were definitely a means that enabled Italy to defeat some of the terrorism of the 1970s and to deal the Mafia a severe blow. And this is not just on the legislative front, but also on an investigative level, cases in point being the National and District Anti-Mafia Directorates, and the invention of maxi-trials. All these experiences have ensured that Italy is viewed with the utmost respect by other police forces around the world and by key organizations such as the FBI.
Roraima Ana Andriani was born in Venezuela in 1963 to a Venezuelan mother and Italian father. After graduating in law with full marks and honors from Bari, she moved to Brussels where she participated in the formulation of the first European Union anti-drugs plan. In 1989, she joined the police force. She went on to become the first female officer to be transferred abroad to Europol in The Hague. The next stage of her career saw her move to Interpol, where, in 2001, she was appointed Director of Cabinet, becoming the first woman and the first Italian to hold a position of such high prestige. Since September 2015, she has been the Director of the Organized and Emerging Crimes Directorate.
