EuroCOP are pleased to share their contribution to the @EU_Commission consultation on “Fighting organised crime – New EU rules”
The European Confederation of Police (EuroCOP), representing the voice of police officers across 25 European countries, welcomes the European Commission’s intention to revise and strengthen the EU’s legal and strategic framework to fight organised crime. We support this legislative initiative and appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the consultation process.
Organised crime poses an increasing threat to the safety of citizens, the stability of institutions, and the integrity of public authorities. EuroCOP especially welcomes the comprehensive approach of this initiative, including the review of legal definitions, cross-border cooperation, intelligence, and crime prevention strategies. However, we strongly urge that any future framework must explicitly recognise and respond to the increasing violence targeting police officers, which is often directly linked to the activities of criminal networks.
The Link Between Organised Crime and Violence Against Police Organised criminal groups across Europe are becoming more entrenched, more violent, and more hostile to law enforcement. As documented in Europol’s 2024 report on high-risk criminal networks, over 30% of criminal networks have operated for over a decade, gaining the power and resources to intimidate, corrupt, and attack police and justice systems. This translates into an alarming rise in direct assaults, threats, and retaliatory violence against police officers who enforce the law at the frontline.
This violence is not incidental—it is strategic. By attacking law enforcement, criminal organisations seek to disrupt investigations, deter police action, and assert territorial control. As such, protecting police officers is not only a matter of occupational safety—it is a prerequisite for the rule of law and democratic governance.
All five problems that the initiative aims to tackle are being echoed in Violence against the police:
1. The discrepancies in how different Member States define Violence against the police (VAPO), and the penalties for participating in such violence;
2. The unequal capacity among Member States to develop a comprehensive intelligence picture on VAPO;
3. Differences between Member States as regards legal frameworks and the availability in practice of investigative tools for use by competent authorities;
4. Crime prevention is not well integrated into the security policies of most Member States;
5. Absence of adequate institutional frameworks or resources, the lack of clarity on the competences of the numerous authorities involved, or a lack of specialised skills and knowledge among the staff involved.
Key Recommendations from EuroCOP
1. EU Action Plan Against Violence Targeting Law Enforcement EuroCOP calls on the Commission to develop a specific EU-wide framework to track, analyse, and prevent violence against police. This should include: A mandatory reporting system for assaults on law enforcement officers; Coordination with Europol and EMPACT priority areas; EU funding for protective equipment and training; Awareness campaigns to reassert respect for the role of the police.
2. Strengthen Institutional Frameworks and Capacity Building Criminal networks exploit institutional weaknesses and operational disparities between Member States. We call for: A harmonised definition of “criminal organisation” and stronger penalties for violent acts against police; Enhanced vetting, integrity checks and psychosocial support for officers vulnerable to infiltration or burnout; A reinforced mandate for CEPOL to support front-line officer training on transnational crime and personal safety.
3. Improve Access to Data and Intelligence for Front-Line Officers Police officers must have secure and real-time access to cross-border intelligence, particularly on high-risk individuals and networks. EuroCOP recommends: Real-time, decentralised access to Europol databases where legally permissible; Legal facilitation for cooperation between Europol and regional police forces; Increased language and intercultural communication training.
4. Develop Specialised Units and Support Structures Many Member States lack adequate resources to deal with the financial and cyber dimensions of organised crime. We support: Creation of specialised EU financial crime and cybercrime units that assist Member States; Promotion of multi-agency task forces to integrate law enforcement, customs, financial authorities, and social services; Expansion of the “administrative approach” to prevent infiltration of public and private sectors.
5. Support the Mental and Physical Well-being of Police Officers Chronic exposure to criminal violence places police officers at risk of psychological trauma and operational burnout. EuroCOP calls for: EU-funded research into the psychological impact of organised crime on law enforcement; Minimum standards across Member States for counselling, rehabilitation, and trauma support; Investment in safer working conditions and defensive equipment.
Conclusion EuroCOP supports legislative action under Article 83 and 87 of the Treaty of the European Union to provide stronger, more coherent tools for law enforcement to fight organised crime. We call on the Commission to explicitly acknowledge the rising violence against police officers as an integral challenge of organised crime. The safety of our officers is a litmus test for the strength of democratic societies and must be placed at the core of the EU’s revised framework.
We stand ready to assist the Commission with further data, case studies, and policy proposals to support this essential initiative. #protectingtheprotectors
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