CEPOL Presidency Seminar 17/2014 – Illegal gambling and organised crime

The Italian CEPOL unit held a seminar on 22-23 October 2014 aimed at discussing in detail illegal gambling and organised crime from an interdisciplinary and European perspective. 40 delegates from 20 European countries, together with experts from Europol and Interpol, participated in this event organised by the Italian EU presidency team at the Scuola di Perfezionamento per le Forze di Polizia (Rome).

The seminar addressed these topics by taking into account different aspects, including those concerning international cooperation in the field of investigations as well as the psychological and medical ones. The transnational character of many criminal activities was pointed out, and participants were able to understand why police cooperation tools - and more specifically the Palermo Declaration - need to be developed as a priority.

The teaching methodology of CEPOL’s training activities is mainly based on working groups, which encourage discussions among participants. Real cases are shown to the audience. Experiences and best practices are shared. In this particular seminar, the presentation by Mr Maurizio Fiasco - a sociologist who has been following this phenomenon in Italy for one year - stimulated in some groups an interesting sociological reflection. Moreover, further working groups fostered an exchange of experiences on aspects which are currently dealt with by the Italian Presidency.

Both organizers and participants appreciated the presentations delivered by the experts from Interpol and Europol, who fully described the activities in which they will be able to support the countries, as well as the contributions provided by the experts from France, Greece, Latvia and Italy.