Counter-terrorism as crime prevention: a holistic approach

Bjørgo, Tore

doi:10.1080/19434472.2015.1108352

Cited by 17 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Disengagement denotes a gradual rejection of terror methods in pursuit of political goals (Chernov Hwang, 2017). Bjørgo (2016) proposes a holistic approach to preventing terrorism that makes use of crime prevention measures, such as building normative barriers against terrorism, reducing radicalization and recruitment, deterrence, disruption, incapacitation, protecting vulnerable targets, reducing benefits to terrorists, reducing harm and facilitating disengagement from terrorism. According to Sageman (2005), individual transition from an “ordinary” offender to a terrorist is largely a function of someone’s social network and their engagement into terrorism.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond the crime-terror nexus: socio-economic status, violent crimes and terrorism

Ljujic

Prooijen

Weerman

2017

JCRPP

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Purpose The literature on terrorism suggests a strong link between criminal offending and terrorism – the crime-terror nexus. Building upon a strain theory perspective, the purpose of this paper is to suggest that devalued socio-economic status (i.e. limited education and unemployment) and criminal past define the pool of people from which violent and terror offenders may be recruited. Design/methodology/approach The current study compares three sources of data on educational and employment characteristics of violent and terror offenders: Dutch statistical data (CBS) including the Police Recognition System (HKS) on violent criminals, the findings on jihadist networks and the open access on European terrorists. Findings The majority of Dutch violent offenders, foreign fighters and European terrorists have only completed secondary school (or lower) and were unemployed in the year of offending. Half of recent European terrorists had previously been involved in violent crimes and/or had joined jihadi groups abroad. Research limitations/implications One limitation of the study concerns the exploratory use of secondary and open-access data. While it was impossible to establish causality with the current methodology, these findings highlight the background conditions under which violent and terrorist crime can originate, and suggest one of the mechanisms that shapes the crime-terror nexus. Future research would benefit from more work identifying the causal antecedents to terrorism. Practical implications Whether relative deprivation is a direct cause or merely an amplifying factor in criminal motivation needs to be scrutinized in future research. However, its consideration may have great implications for policy and law enforcement agencies. Social implications An individual’s desire to improve status and personal significance by the virtue of illegal activity may be particularly salient in the context of cultural polarization, which manifests as decreased trust and loyalty toward national laws and institutions. Parallel to preventive and security measures, it may be worthwhile to encourage multicultural associations and community networks in support of mutual (interethnic and interreligious) understanding. Originality/value The paper explores one of the oldest factors that has been suspected of leading to terrorism in lack of economic or educational opportunity. However, the paper also offers a new perspective on how these factors may relate to participation in terrorism. Rather than claiming these factors directly cause terrorism, the authors take a strain theory perspective to argue that these strains induce fewer opportunities to engage in terrorism and provide individuals with the skills/strength to resist de-radicalization or counter-radicalization.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond the crime-terror nexus: socio-economic status, violent crimes and terrorism

Ljujic

Prooijen

Weerman

2017

JCRPP

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“…For example, Rehman et al (2017) use economic methods to assess the effectiveness of Pakistani counterterrorism, noting the "vengeance effect" whereby collateral damage from counterterrorism can increase the future number of terrorist attacks. Psychological considerations are important to terrorist groups, who seek to create a climate of fear and paralysis in order to coerce action or inaction from a given regime (Bjørgo, 2016). One of the main methods of creating this fear is through media attention.…”

Section: Political Psychologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These academics suggest that democratic institutions actually extend the abilities and lifetimes of terrorist groups (S. B. and that higher human development actually increases the risk of terrorism (Coggins, 2015). A policy problem that Bjørgo (2016) suggests is that in many democratic societies, counter-terrorism is "almost exclusively about crime prevention," which makes policy very narrow, and limits its effectiveness (p. 25). Within this line of reasoning, states that have large cities are at a higher risk, because terrorist organizations have more access to finances and goods in urban areas (Kis-Katos et al 2011).…”

Section: Do Developed States Generate Terrorism?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating What and Why

Mann

Brydges

2017

potentia

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This article critically examines the literature on terrorism, identifying a distinction between the research methods that were common before and after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. We argue that pre-9/11 methods were more concerned with understanding individual and group motivations for participating in terrorism. This approach is still visible in the fields of political psychology and gender and sexuality studies on terrorism. In contrast, post-9/11 research methods are more concerned with identifying country-level variables associated with terrorism using regression analysis and econometrics. Post-9/11 research on terrorism has often been focused on two debates: the role of democracy in fostering or preventing terrorism, and the relationship between development and terrorism. This shift in methodology reflects a more positivist ontology, and is also undoubtedly intended to meet the needs of policy-makers pursuing the War on Terror. We argue that a well-informed approach to addressing the threat of terrorism must draw from both perspectives; otherwise, there is a strong risk of ignoring crucial variables at different levels of analysis.

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“…Mohamed Abrini 11 ) and dozens of individuals have been unveiled for having a connection to the large terrorist network that was responsible for the Paris and Brussels attacks. 12 This implies that more than one EU member state has undergone failed attempts to detain numerous individuals linked to a transnational terrorist network. 13…”

Section: Frequency Of Prominent Attacks In Western Europementioning

confidence: 99%

“…11 Mohamed Abrini is a Belgian national of Moroccan descent who is alleged to have been involved in the planning and execution of the November 2015 Paris attacks and the 2016 Brussels bombings. 12 Miller, Greg and Joby Warrick. "How Belgium became the hub of terror within Europe."…”

Section: Concludedmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Exploration of the EU's Counterterrorism Measures: Can the EU Learn From Its Member States? A Case Study Examining Italy

Peric¹

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Counter-terrorism as crime prevention: a holistic approach

Cited by 17 publications

References 12 publications

Beyond the crime-terror nexus: socio-economic status, violent crimes and terrorism

Beyond the crime-terror nexus: socio-economic status, violent crimes and terrorism

Investigating What and Why

An Exploration of the EU's Counterterrorism Measures: Can the EU Learn From Its Member States? A Case Study Examining Italy

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