"Transnational organized crime is one of the greatest global threats to the security and development of open and democratic societies. It is imperative for states to develop counterstrategies against it. Prof. Dr. Gert Vermeulen, Director of the Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy, Ghent University, recently presented an introduction to research on organized crime and recent findings, as well as shortcomings in terms of data collection, definition issues and reporting problems." (Quoted from paper)