Chapter 2

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

Background

The questionnaire on organised crime was prepared during July 2000. This occurred against the background of an international environment in which the issue of organised crime was rapidly moving up on the agendas of both governments and international organisations. The importance attached by the international community to increased efforts to fight organised crime is best illustrated by the involvement of more than 120 states in the negotiations that led to the finalisation in July 2000 of the new United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (the Palermo Convention). This convention, which has since been adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations and signed by more than 123 UN member states,12 among others, provides for expanded international co-operation and mutual legal assistance.13

The SADC region is probably one of the regions with the most to gain from international assistance through the Palermo Convention. But this depends on countries in the region being in a position to ratify and implement the convention as soon as possible. It would also depend on whether countries are able to persuade the international community that they are serious about combating organised crime and that they have the political will to do so. Neither a notable determination to combat organised crime nor the political will to do so can be assumed in poor and often weak states which have a host of other pressing national problems to overcome. The chances of the national police agency of a developing or a least developed state completing a comprehensive questionnaire that delves into organised crime probably diminishes in proportion to the strength or weakness of its determination to do something about it. Preparing a questionnaire for the police agencies of Southern Africa was therefore a venture into uncharted territory. The possible response to a questionnaire could not be anticipated as no precedents existed. No guidelines from previous questionnaires were available.

Questionnaire development

It was important first to discuss the possibility of using a questionnaire with the various national police agencies before embarking on the exercise of compiling the questionnaire. After obtaining the support of the chairperson of SARPCCO for such a questionnaire, and following his recommendation to all police agencies to support the project, visits were undertaken to some SADC countries to meet with representatives of the particular national police chiefs. Meetings were held in Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The representatives all indicated that they would co-operate and consider a questionnaire once it was presented.

During August and September 2000, the questionnaires were forwarded to the national police agencies of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Prior to this, each of the 11 police agencies appointed a contact person to deal with the survey. Respondents were requested to answer 24 questions which covered areas such as the size and budget of the police service, the definition of organised crime used by the service, the nature of organised crime, and the activities of so-called ‘indigenous organised criminal groups’ and ‘organised criminal groups with international components’ (a condensed questionnaire appears as an appendix). Some of the questions were based on the transnational organised crime assessment form, which the UN Centre for International Crime Prevention in Vienna had prepared for a global research project on organised crime.

In order to draw a distinction between ‘indigenous’ organised criminal groups, consisting of individuals from within a specific country, and those organised criminal groups that primarily consist of foreign nationals, the latter category was referred to as ‘organised criminal groups with international components’. The distinction between the two categories was explained to respondents in an introduction to the questionnaire. This categorisation is probably not the most useful as it focuses on the nationality of the members rather than on the nature of their activity. So-called ‘indigenous’ organised criminal groups are often as involved in transnational organised groups as those that consist mainly of foreign nationals. However, as this was the first survey of its kind, it was decided rather to err on the side of caution and simplicity.

The introduction further sought to place organised crime in the SADC region into an international context and referred to the need for regional and international responses to combat it effectively. An explanation was provided of the objectives of the research project of which the survey was a part, and the funders of the project were identified. Reference was made to the worldwide problem of finding a universally applicable definition for organised crime. The definition for an ‘organised criminal group’ contained in the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime was cited as one which was likely to influence future efforts in reaching common ground with regard to a definition on organised crime.

Of the 11 respondents, all except Angola and Mozambique returned the completed questionnaire.14 They did so at various intervals, with the last one returned in January 2001. This should be regarded as an exceptionally positive response. It suggests that there is a willingness by Southern African police agencies to address organised crime and to develop a regional approach. Prior to embarking on the survey, some experts with international experience had warned that questionnaires of this nature had a very poor return rate and that a survey would probably not produce the desired results as police agencies were reluctant to respond to questionnaires, particularly on organised crime. The positive response to the questionnaire therefore suggests that the survey method to obtain quantitative information on organised crime from the police should not be dismissed.

This report analyses the information supplied by the nine police agencies that responded. Each question will be considered separately and the responses briefly assessed. The limitations and problems relating to a survey such as this are considerable. Some of the limitations will emerge from the analyses of the responses that follow.

Evaluation of the questionnaire

Respondents were asked to make any comments, or to provide criticism or advice about the questionnaire and its administration. It was envisaged that such comments could serve as valuable indicators for future surveys and could assist in the construction of more relevant questionnaires.

Only three of the nine police agencies responded to the question. Two of the brief comments were complimentary, while one police agency felt that the questionnaire was too long. The question might have elicited more information had it been phrased in more precise terms. For example, it might have assisted if the question was targeted at specific aspects of the questionnaire rather than being couched as a single general question.