Undercover operations of suborning to crime

Abstract

It can be stated with good reason that today undercover investigation techniques are the most efficient police weapon in prevention and suppression of crime. They are characterized by conspiracy and pro-activity of action. Their aim is to provide a position for the law enforcement from which they can oversee the illegal activities being prepared or being in progress (but hard to notice), as well as to suborn an individual who will commit certain offences to expose himself, create ambient, conditions and circumstances under which they will actualize their criminal intentions. Traditionally, undercover police operations are largely used in opposing the so-called “consensual crimes” or “victimless crimes”, such as illegal trafficking in drugs, weapons, gold jewelry, nuclear material, vehicles, credit cards, prostitution, child pornography and similar. Undercover operations, which include certain elements of suborning (provocation) to crime, can be divided into two categories - operations of active and passive provocation. Active provocation means direct participation of law enforcement representative in commitment of crime. Taking over a certain criminal role, he enters into a relation with a suspect, negotiates on commitment of offence, specifies the opportunities and circumstances of their actualizing - like place and time of crime commitment, means of commitment, and similar. Passive provocation includes devising and creating such opportunities and circumstances by law enforcement representatives, which are favourable to commitment of crime, related to certain problem situation, whereas they do not take active part in such operations. In this case, police only develop objective conditions for an offence in certain time and place, which would, also be committed by the suspect under real similar opportunities and circumstances in some other place and at some other time. The paper presents crime-investigation aspects of some undercover police operations such as Buy-Walk and Buy Bust procedures, Flash Roll management, Decoy or Honey Trap operation.

Prikrivene istražne tehnike danas predstavljaju najefikasnije policijsko sredstvo u sprečavanju i suzbijanju zločina. Njihova osnovna obeležja su konspirativnost i proaktivnost postupanja, s ciljem da se osobe koje vrše određene delikte navedu da se same otkriju, kreiranjem ambijenta u kome će plasirati svoje kriminalne namere. Ove operacije se najvećim delom koriste u suprotstavljanju konsensualnom kriminalu ili deliktima bez žrtve, ali njihova primena nije sporna ni kada je reč o drugim oblicima kriminala. Veoma često ove tehnike sadrže određene forme navođenja na krivično delo, zbog čega u praktičnoj primeni moraju biti fino dozirane i strogo kontrolisane. Predmet ovog rada su kriminalistički aspekti prikrivenih policijskih operacija sa elementima navođenja na izvršenje kriminalnog akta.