Modern Techniques Used in the Investigation of Crimes Related to the Migration Phenomenon (I)

Abstract

International migration has a profound impact on both the socioeconomic and ethnocultural aspects of society. The emergence of global migration has given rise to the first instances of illegal activity in which migrants are the main protagonists. Transnational crimes committed by or with the help of migrants are extremely harmful and alarming. The correlation between migration and cross-border crime is a major strategic phenomenon with social, economic, and political consequences for the states involved in the commission of the crime.

Migration is an important dimension of globalization, and its dynamics are increasingly closely linked to changes in social structures and the global economy. This trend in international migration is now characteristic of all regions of the world, and the motivations and means of migration are more numerous than at any other time in human history.

The causes of international migration are numerous and are influenced by geographical regions, their specific characteristics, cultural level, degree of civilization, economic conditions, and, last but not least, economic development.

The phenomenon of cross-border crime is highly prevalent at present, and migration has fundamentally changed in terms of its objectives, causes, directions, and intensity. The growth of the world’s population naturally accompanies an increase in the number of migrants worldwide.

The influx of illegal migrants has a negative impact on employment as well as on the country’s socioeconomic situation. Furthermore, identifying, detaining, and returning migrants from abroad entails certain additional financial costs.

There is virtually no crime in the work of law enforcement agencies that does not involve investigative actions to identify the perpetrators and determine the causes and circumstances that led to and facilitated the commission of the crimes.

Investigative work is a fast and effective way to obtain information of operational interest and is used very frequently by all law enforcement agencies and units, particularly in the cross-border context. It is not only a method for obtaining information but also an excellent way to verify and supplement it.