ABSTRACT
This chapter focusses on network theory and concepts relevant to the study of organised criminal groups. In particular, we introduce some metrics that are used in social network analysis (SNA). It is important to note that it is not our aim to teach the reader how to conduct SNA, as there are many existing useful and detailed resources in this area. Instead, our objective in the chapter is to provide sufficient background with regard to how SNA can be used to analyse and understand organised criminal groups and their activities. We discuss whole network measures and measures of positional importance in networks. We then discuss how actor-level characteristics can be incorporated within a network perspective to reveal important insights into the structure and operation of organised criminal groups. The concepts and metrics introduced in the chapter are returned to in later chapters throughout the book.
