ABSTRACT
This chapter examines two main ways that actors in criminal networks ensure security, with a focus on organisational structure and personal risk-management strategies. Scholars generally agree that most contemporary criminal organisations operate through decentralised networks. Leaders of criminal networks must strike a delicate balance across the need for concealment, the requirement to be visible enough to conduct business and the need to manage the greatest risk, human capital. Data was collected from each source for the purposes of social network analysis. The violence assumed various forms, including physical violence, threats of violence to network members and their families and his notorious reputation. The use of information networks refers to informal networking with the purpose of gathering and verifying information so as to keep informed about potential risks and rewards in the environment. A primary limitation to studying criminal networks is difficulty locating reliable data.
