Commissioner Johansson's speech at the European Crime Prevention Conference 2024

European Crime Prevention Conference 2024

Hello everybody. I hope that you enjoyed the lunch. I regret that I could not be with you live in Tallinn today, but I am with you in this way instead because I think this is a very important conference and very important topics that you are discussing during these two days.

Last week in Stockholm, my hometown, a group of teenagers shot and killed a 39-year-old man in front of his 12-year-old son. According to media, it seems that this happened after the man criticised and tried to correct their behaviour. Sadly, it's no incident.

We have seen it several times in the country I know best: Sweden. Last year more than 300 children aged 15 to 17 were charged with murder or attempted murder. A 16-year-old boy suspected of killing a 15-year-old boy in Skogås, also near Stockholm.

Children killing children. I think we can see them like child soldiers in a drug war. And this is unfortunately not only in Sweden. We see this, unfortunately, in many Member States.

Responsible for these children's crusade are organised criminals who are recruiting younger and younger children to do their bidding. To be lookouts, to deliver drugs, to take drugs out of ports and into the city, and even to plot murders and kill.

Last year I invited young professionals from all over Europe to meet with me and discuss this topic on the recruitment of children into criminal gangs. These professionals were people who work with the teenagers targeted by criminals for recruitment. As social workers or policemen and -women and different kinds of professionals and also representatives of civil society.

These impressive young experts told me about poverty, unemployment, and closed doors. They told me about the culture of silence that holds whole communities' hostage to crime. They talked about the culture of toxic masculinity that fuels deadly violence.

But they also talked about the positive sides: The importance of giving parents the support they need to take care of their children, about the importance of belonging, being part of society, being part of “us”. Feeling respected.

We should never make excuses for crime, but we must also not be blind to the realities behind crime. We must fight crime with the strong arm of the law and the open arms of prevention. And during this year's conference, you are focussing on prevention and preventing youth recruitment. I am very happy for this. I think this is an area where we must and can do more together in the European Union.

You are also focussing on countering criminal infiltration of society. As you probably know, Europol recently published a Report on the Most Threatening Criminal Networks. They have mapped 821 networks. Almost 90 per cent of criminal networks make use of legal business structures, very often being high up in the hierarchy of a legal business or running their own business in the legal economy. This mapping also shows that 70 per cent of the most threatening criminal gangs engage in corruption.

To counter this and to counter criminal infiltration I have proposed new EU rules against corruption. And we are going after criminal money with new EU legislation on asset recovery that I have proposed earlier.

But that won't be enough. We must stop criminal infiltration with all legal means at our disposal, use every opportunity our regulations offer: Screening, to prevent criminal businesses from winning tenders, grants, subsidies. To exclude operators convicted of corruption, bribery, fraud. Introduce background checks in risky businesses, for example those working with weapons and explosives. Or introduce permits – for example for night shops.

Send in health and safety inspectors, labour inspectors. Is a bar used for money laundering? Take away their alcohol licence. These are just a few examples of what national and local authorities are doing today, making life more difficult for criminals.

I should put it like this: Organised Crime is one of the biggest threats we are facing towards our society today. It is a threat towards security of our citizens, against democracy, and against our whole society. We must do everything we can to disrupt the criminal networks.

We are fighting crime through operational actions, supported by Europol and coordinated through EMPACT. We are fighting organised crime through legislation. As Commissioner, I have strengthened the mandate and the funding and the staff of Europol and improved police information exchange.

We are fighting crime through cooperation. We set up the European Ports Alliance and are working more and more closely with Latin American countries to stop the trafficking of drugs.

I have launched an EU Roadmap against organised crime and drugs trafficking last October. Prevention is at the heart of this Roadmap, and prevention is at the heart of your network.

The European Crime Prevention Network is a unique network. It takes a network to fight a network.

Present today are you: You are representing police officers, prosecutors, academia, doctors, victim support practitioners, NGOs, city councils. We work hand in hand to fight crime. And with representatives from all Member States and EU Agencies, we show that we are all united in this endeavour.

I would like to thank all our partners for joining the conference and for the work you are doing to prevent crime. The fight against organised crime will remain a priority for Europe.

So, you have a very important job today. Exchange experience and ideas, work together to keep Europe safe. I will also welcome new proposals on what else I can do from the Commissions' side to support and make your work easier.

Thank you for listening to me. I wish you a continuously successful conference but first, of course, I am ready to answer your questions or listen to your comments. Thank you.