Indicators of the existence and operations of organized crime

In security sciences, indicators have a dual purpose – as indicators of the existence and operation of various forms of threats, and as an evaluation of the security subjects’ performance in combating the criminal activity. In professional literature, the terms indicators and indications are often identified, and erroneously understood as synonymous. However, these are different logical notions, with a completely different application in practice. The paper discusses basic issues related to the indicators of the security threat manifestations. Apart from general considerations, special attention is paid to indicators of organized crime. The authors analyze the process of defining the indicators of the existence and operations of organized crime, which is determined by specific features of this type of security threat and also by the specialization of certain government entities that have been put in charge of countering the organized crime. The determination of the indicators arises from the obligation of government authorities to have elaborated indicators in accordance with their assigned responsibilities in the fight against organized crime, and other forms of threats as well. Also discussed are some indicators that represent a solid basis for further upgrade in line with the specific characteristics and changes in the manifestation of this form of threat