Global Scans · Crime · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Crime is morphing away from traditional methods to more sophisticated technological approaches. A decline of traditional hierarchical criminal groups and networks will be accompanied by the expansion of a virtual criminal underground made up of individual criminal entrepreneurs. At the same time, forward-looking agencies are equipping themselves with smart technologies to outfox the criminals. Keep up to date with crime changes below.

• [New] Terrorist groups and organized crime, already using cheap drones, could scale up attacks on power grids, water supplies, or prisons using swarms of AI-guided quadcopters, technology being used right now on Ukrainian battlefields. Vice
• [New] Nation-state and criminal actors will target energy, healthcare, and transportation systems with cyber-physical impacts, turning outages and disruptions into strategic weapons. Channel Insider
• [New] Europe's top policing agency has issued a stark warning about the future of crime, cautioning that autonomous drones, vehicles and even humanoid robots could be hijacked by criminals and terrorists within the next decade. News Karnataka
• [New] Convergence of Advanced Persistent Threats and Cyber Crime: Nation-state actors and criminal gangs will share infrastructure and payloads, blurring attribution and accelerating the scale of global cyber operations. Govtech
• [New] In 2026, the insider threat will shift from disgruntled employees to risk from staff tempted by direct financial incentives offered by cyber-criminal groups. Best Information Security SIEM Tools, Software, Solutio
• [New] Looking ahead to 2026, stakeholders should expect heightened scrutiny of artificial intelligence in fraud schemes, expanded liability regimes, and a continued pivot by criminal networks toward synthetic identities and hybrid cyber threats. Doctor Trusted
• [New] NSW police will carry large, long-arm weapons for the first time at major New Year celebrations to strengthen public safety following the Bondi Beach terrorist attack. The Sydney Morning Herald
• [New] Israeli security organizations have intensified efforts to track how terrorist and violent extremist groups continue weaponizing artificial intelligence, warning that the technology is rapidly lowering the threshold for effective attacks and large-scale influence operations. Autonomy Global -
• [New] Linking NATGRID with NPR is expected to enhance preventive policing, improve inter-agency coordination, and strengthen counter-terrorism and organised crime investigations by providing faster access to reliable population data. / India IBPS Guide
• [New] Excessive delays in the investigation of sexual offences have become a widespread feature of policing across the UK and risk breaching survivors' human rights by denying them prompt and effective access to justice. Law Gazette
• [New] Regardless of who wins, the next Colombian administration will inherit a complex security landscape marked by rising violence and increasingly fragmented criminal organizations, making a partnership with Washington essential. Atlantic Council
• [New] Building on the Trump Administration's early designations of cartels and gangs as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, the U.S. will continue to expand counterterrorism-based sanctions across the Western Hemisphere. Mondaq
• [New] Heading into 2026, local governments and law enforcement agencies face multifaceted public safety pressures including public concern about crime, ongoing staffing shortages, and the rapid transformation of opportunities brought on by new technology. R Street Institute
• [New] The proposed law further prohibits U.S. defence funds from assisting the Badr Organization, identified as an Iranian terrorist proxy in Iraq, and authorizes expanded counterterrorism support for regional partners to confront threats posed by Hezbollah, Hamas and ISIS. NCRI
• [New] The U.S. House Armed Services Committee has advanced provisions in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act that intensify scrutiny and restrictions on Iran, citing its use of terrorist proxies, advances in weapons technology and destabilizing influence across the Middle East. NCRI
• [New] Europol's report warns of a potential AI-driven crime wave by 2035, where criminals hijack drones, self-driving cars, and robots for smuggling, bombings, or grooming. WebProNews
• [New] Without intervention, the predicted robot crime wave could become reality sooner than 2035. WebProNews
• [New] The AI-based crime-solving platform will be implemented across all 1,100 police stations in Maharashtra, making it one of the largest AI deployments in policing in India. Guidely
• [New] Morning fog is likely on the E11 and E311 corridors linking Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and police have confirmed that they will impose rolling 80 km/h speed limits - and full closures if visibility drops below 50m. VisaHQ

Last updated: 03 January 2026