Perspectives on organised crime between policy and research: a criminological analysis of the new offences of participation in organised crime activities in England and Wales.

Section 45 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 contains new offences for participation in organised crime groups' activities. This section mentions for the first time 'organised criminal groups and activities' in the law in England and Wales. This paper will interpret and critically analyse the new offences for organised crime from a criminological perspective in light of evidence found in research. It will argue that this legal change is informed by political narratives on organised crime rather than by variations in the criminal panorama. The paper will then identify three perspectives for concern: the narrative perspective, which reflects on the overlapping of meanings of the words 'organised crime'; the evolution perspective, which reflects on the origins of the new participation offences with reference to both national and international pressures; and the management perspective, which reflects on some of the immediate effects of the new offences of organised crime on the criminal justice system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]