The presence and activities of Italian mafias in Europe are expanding and increasingly undermining civil society and economies. Crime fighters in the UK have been slow to understand the danger of the Italian Mafias, and with the British government’s potential future opt out of the European Union’s justice and home affairs framework, the door may be left open to the potential threats Italian mafias pose to British society and the economy.

Dr Felia Allum's research addresses the lack of awareness of the activities of Italian mafias in the UK and elsewhere in Europe and, in particular, informs us of the presence of the Camorra.

Her research has focussed on the activities of the Camorra in the UK and her findings have highlighted that English law enforcement agencies do not have the proper tools that are required to fight organised crime. She has identified this through research on the Camorra in Naples and abroad.

Representatives from the Home Office, British law enforcement agencies and other key actors have been invited to policy seminars organised by the University of Bath that took place in London, while Dr Felia Allum has herself been interviewed for Police Professional and BBC Radio 4.

Impact case study

This research was submitted to the Research Excellence Framework 2014.