Crime-investigating aspects of undercover agent work

Abstract

Secret methods of acquiring information regarding criminal activities are exceptionally useful and practically necessary in providing relevant data in the field of consensual crimes, as well as in the development of crime investigation and intelligence work. The work of undercover investigators, or undercover agents, represents an investigating technique which makes a framework of such secret methods and which has been essentially present for many years in an informal form. With the expansion of organized crime at the end of 20th century comes the institutionalization and legal foundation of this work. If we leave aside various legal controversies and dilemmas related to standardization of the institution of undercover agent, it could be concluded from the point of view of crime investigation that its practical application requires a detailed and very serious planning and preparation. To what extent the preparation and direct implementation will be comprehensive and complex depends primarily on the comprehensiveness and complexity of each and every specific case the agent will be involved in. When considering crime-investigating aspects of the institution of the undercover agent, it can be observed that there is a big gap in criminalistic literature in this field, both in our country and in other European countries. The papers and monographs coming from the USA are mostly the result of years long practical experience of their authors who used to be involved in undercover operations, which gives them particular importance and value. These works, as well as the experiences of our police officers involved in undercover investigations in recent years, show that this investigating method is very complex and demanding, and it still has to be given its proper contours in our criminal proceedings practice and crime-investigating work.

Tajne metode dolaženja do informacija o kriminalnim aktivnostima izuzetno su korisne i praktično neophodne za obezbeđenje relevantnih podataka u oblasti konsensualnog kriminala, kao i razvoj kriminalističko-obaveštajnog rada. Angažovanje prikrivenih islednika predstavlja istražnu tehniku koja čini okosnicu takvih tajnih metoda i koja je, suštinski, u neformalnom obliku, prisutna mnogo godina unazad. Svoje institucionalizovanje i zakonsko utemeljenje počelo je dobijati krajem XX veka, sa ekspanzijom organizovanog kriminala. Ako ostavimo po strani razne zakonske kontroverze i nedoumice u vezi sa normiranjem instituta prikrivenog islednika, sa kriminalističkog aspekta se može zaključiti da njegova praktična primena zahteva detaljno i veoma ozbiljno planiranje i pripremu. Koliko će sama priprema i neposredna realizacija biti obimna i složena, u prvom redu zavisi od obima i složenosti svakog konkretnog slučaja na kojem će se prikriveni islednik angažovati. U razmatranju kriminalističkih aspekata instituta prikrivenog islednika, primetna je velika praznina u kriminalističkoj literaturi u ovoj oblasti, kako kod nas, tako i u evropskim zemljama uopšte. Radovi i monografije koji dolaze iz SAD uglavnom su rezultat višegodišnjeg praktičnog iskustva njihovih autora u realizaciji tajnih operacija, što im daje poseban značaj i vrednost. Takvi radovi, kao i iskustva naših policijskih službenika angažovanih na tajnim istragama poslednjih godina, ukazuju da je ovaj istražni metod veoma kompleksan i zahtevan, te da u našoj krivično procesnoj praksi, odnosno kriminalističkom radu, tek treba da dobije svoje prave konture.