The globalization of crime has become a renowned problem for the law worldwide; as societies become more interconnected, an act in one country can have repercussions in another which is across another continent. This is primarily down to technological developments, as nowadays communication between countries is simple compared to decades ago. Alongside this transport is also a major problem, as it means that illegal activities can take place in more than one country as goods are transferred between the two, allowing the criminal world to reach all corners of the world.
The idea that globalization has produced new opportunities for crime is supported by Held et al (1999), who suggest that it has also led to new means of committing crime as well as there being new offences to commit. On the surface we may deem this to be due to knowledge of certain crimes and processes being shared between associates in each country, introducing the new ways and means to try and gain the upper hand on the out of touch police, however we must look at the situation in more business like terms: supply and demand. Held et al found that the western civilizations generally had more demand for certain aspects of crime, such as drugs and illegal sexual encounters. Not being able to produce enough within their own civilizations, other parts of the world (notably South America for drugs) come into play. Due to them having the raw materials, whether it be drug ingredients or ability to kidnap etc. they are able to supply the west with the products they need, thus building greater connections between the continents worldwide.
Globalization has not only had an effect of physical crime, but also a substantial impact on cybercrimes. As we have become ever more reliant on computer based technology in our lives, computer hackers are continuously given new