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Cathy Haenlein, Anton Moiseienko and Elijah Glantz, 'Disrupting Organised Crime: If You Can't Beat Them, Santion Them?', RUSI.org, 26 November 2025
The increased use of sanctions against organised crime necessitates a deeper evidence base on how they can best be targeted – and supported through diplomatic engagement across the range of states involved. |
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'Cathy Haenlein responds to the announcement of the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales', RUSI.org, 13 November 2025
With this announcement, the government has enacted a major shift in policing governance, marking the end of a controversial system introduced in 2012 by the then Home Secretary Theresa May in a bid to enhance accountability and give communities a direct voice in policing. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'The Politics of Immigration is Broken and Fixing the UK Home Office Will Not Help', RUSI.org, 31 October 2025
The long-delayed release of Nick Timothy's 2023 review of Home Office effectiveness points to ongoing institutional dysfunctions. The creation of an independent cross-party commission could restore delivery discipline and reduce incentives to use immigration as a political weapon. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'A Home Office Shake-Up is Not Enough. To Tackle Small Boats, Government Must be Radical', The House - Politics Home, 30 October 2025
Bold steps are needed to finally get a grip on illegal migration. Setting up an independent, cross-party commission would be just that. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Tom Keatinge, 'Disrupting Illegal Wildlife Trade: Have We Followed the Money?', RUSI.org, 29 October 2025
Five years ago, the Financial Action Task Force issued a call-to-arms for greater focus on the financial dimensions of illegal wildlife trade. Over the years, the mission has risked losing direction – losing sight of what it will take to truly make a difference in the financial fight against IWT. This must now change. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Dan Marks, 'Priorities for the New UK Critical Minerals Strategy', RUSI.org, 3 September 2025
Previously portrayed as 'asleep at the wheel', the UK has an opportunity to redefine its position in the critical minerals space. The UK must outline a more concrete strategic approach, backed with the resourcing and tools to implement it. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Michael Jones, 'Organised Crime, Terror and Insecurity in Africa: Project Summary', RUSI.org, 24 June 2025
This project addresses a critical gap in current knowledge on sub-national perceptions of insecurity, giving voice to local-level perceptions of key threats. This interactive summary draws on extensive fieldwork conducted from 2022–24 in two case study countries: Mozambique and Nigeria. |
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Mark Williams, Pilar Domingo, Cathy Haenlein and Michael Jones, 'Lessons from Bottom-Up Analysis of Crime, Terror and Insecurity in Africa', RUSI.org, 16 June 2025
This Policy Brief presents practical considerations arising from RUSI's three-year 'Organised Crime, Terror and Insecurity in Africa' project, which explores local perceptions and experiences of key security threats. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'Evolve or Perish? Global Action on Illegal Wildlife Trade', RUSI.org, 9 April 2025
Ten years since 46 countries and 11 international organisations committed to act together to bring illegal wildlife trade to an end, is a strategic rethink and wholesale reinvigoration of the collective response required? |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'Is the Home Office Fit for Purpose? Challenges for a New UK Home Secretary', RUSI.org, 17 June 2024
With politicians of both main parties having struggled with the department for decades, what issues face an incoming home secretary in 2024? The new resident at 2 Marsham Street will face a bulging in-tray and a set of challenges in the first 100 days that few other ministers will have to contend with. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'Interactive Summary – 10 Years, 10 Threats: How Organised Crime Has Evolved over a Decade', RUSI.org, 28 May 2024
This interactive article provides a summary of the RUSI project '10 Years, 10 Threats', providing independent analysis to mark a major milestone in the UK's fight against serious and organised crime: the 10-year anniversary of the National Crime Agency (NCA). |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'Organised Crime and the UK Border: Tackling Criminal Innovation at the Frontline', RUSI.org, 25 April 2024
This is the tenth in a series of articles analysing the top 10 serious and organised crime threats to the UK and their evolution over a decade. This article considers the evolving threat at the border, as a key point of both vulnerability and opportunity in the UK's response to organised criminality. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Marley Morris, 'Organised Immigration Crime in the UK: A Resilient Business Model', RUSI.org, 11 April 2024
This is the ninth in a series of articles analysing the top 10 serious and organised crime threats to the UK and their evolution over a decade. This article considers the trajectory of organised immigration crime – an area that has seen dramatic change in the routes and tactics used. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Harvey Redgrave, 'Drugs: An Old Threat Made New', RUSI.org, 13 March 2024
This is the seventh in a series of articles on the top 10 serious and organised crime threats to the UK and their evolution over a decade. This article traces the threat and response to drugs – an intractable problem that has contributed to a rise in serious violence over the last decade. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'Blink and You Missed It: The UK Government's Serious and Organised Crime Strategy', RUSI.org, 21 December 2023
Following months of calls from think-tanks and the opposition, a new strategy to tackle serious and organised crime was quietly published last week. Whether it is everything the country needs to tackle a rapidly evolving, technologically advanced threat remains to be seen. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Neil Giles, 'Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking: An Expanding UK Market', RUSI.org, 21 November 2023
This is the second in a series of articles on the top 10 serious and organised crime threats to the UK and their evolution over a decade. It traces the threat from modern slavery and human trafficking, which has risen up the policy agenda over a decade. |
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Cathy Haenlein and the Lord Evans of Weardale KCB DL, 'A Boundless Threat? The Rise of Organised Crime in the UK', RUSI.org, 13 November 2023
This article launches a series examining the top 10 serious and organised crime threats to the UK and their evolution over the past decade. It traces the journey of the overarching threat posed, with a focus on the blurring of the lines with state threats. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'Disruptions, Drug Seizures and Technological Change: 10 Years of the National Crime Agency', Policing Insight, 9 November 2023
In 2023 the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) marked 10 years in operation, a decade that has seen significant international operations, substantial convictions and drug seizures, but serious and organised crime is on the rise, and policing alone cannot overcome that threat. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'In Hot Water: Climate Change and Crime Convergence in the Fisheries Sector', RUSI.org, 1 August 2023
This is the third article in a three-part series on the emerging intersections between climate change and criminal and security challenges associated with fisheries, with this article focusing on evolving patterns of criminality in the fisheries sector. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'Ramaphosa's Lucky Escape: What Putin's Cancelled Trip Means for the ICC', RUSI.org, 28 July 2023
BRICS Summit host South Africa has reconciled a pressing dilemma over Russian President Vladimir Putin's planned attendance. Obliged but unable to arrest him if he landed in Pretoria, President Ramaphosa has had a lucky escape. But at what cost? |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'Has the Government Forgotten about Serious and Organised Crime?', RUSI.org, 24 July 2023
The threat from serious and organised crime is increasing year on year, yet an up-to-date articulation of the government's strategic approach is missing in action. Beyond a statement of what has been achieved, a new strategy must articulate a compelling and ambitious vision for the UK's response. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'Libya as Prologue: The Uncertain Future of UN Sanctions in a Divided World', RUSI.org, 8 June 2023
As Russia wraps up its presidency of the UN Security Council, the capacity of UN sanctions to support peace in today’s multipolar world is in doubt. The polarisation evident in dynamics among the five permanent members risks marking ‘the end of international sanctions’ as an effective deterrent. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Amanda Kadlec, 'An Unprecedented Failure? UN Sanctions against Human Traffickers in Libya', RUSI.org, 20 December 2022
As Libya’s Government of National Unity issues a ‘letter of recognition and appreciation’ to Abd al-Rahman Milad, one of six individuals sanctioned in 2018 as leaders of human trafficking networks, the disparity between expectation and reality calls for reflection on the record of sanctions use in this area. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'Targeted Financial Sanctions: A Key Tool to Disrupt Illegal Wildlife Trade?', RUSI.org, 6 December 2021
Financial sanctions are increasingly touted as a powerful means to target high-level wildlife traffickers, but little critical analysis exists on likely effectiveness or their merits. Crucial questions remain unanswered. The delay in asking these questions and consulting past experience comes at the risk of repeating mistakes, potentially harming the collective strategic response to IWT. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'Moving Beyond the Slogan: Operationalising '"Follow the Money" Approaches to Illegal Wildlife Trade in Uganda', RUSI Strategic Hub for Organised Crime Research, 6 October 2021
The illicit finance dimensions of illegal wildlife trade (IWT) have gained unprecedented global attention. In-depth country case studies are required to tailor external support and assess how far ‘follow the money’ approaches are being effectively operationalised. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'Disrupting Serious and Organised Crime: What Role for UK Sanctions?', RUSI Strategic Hub for Organised Crime Research, 18 December 2020
As the UK establishes its post-Brexit independent sanctions regime, the potential to use sanctions against serious and organised crime has attracted growing attention. To add value, any move in this direction requires a clear strategy as to how sanctions would complement existing law enforcement tools. |
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Cathy Haenlein, Tom Keatinge, Alexandria Reid, 'RUSI Experts Welcome Renewed Global Commitment to Target Financial Proceeds of Illegal Wildlife Trade', RUSI.org, 18 October 2019
This week in Paris, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) committed to developing 'good practices in tackling the financial flows linked to illegal wildlife trade.’ As the central global standard setter on fighting financial crime, FATF leadership is critical. RUSI welcomes this commitment. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'Boris Johnson's Policing Pledge: The Key Will Be Delivering Beyond the Frontline', Prospect, 31 July 2019
Beyond promising an 20,000 extra officers, government must address urgent questions around logistics, coordination and resourcing of other services. The policing crisis needs a coherent, system-wide response. Whether the impending drive is the start of such a response remains to be seen. |
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Cathy Haenlein, Tom Keatinge and Alexandria Reid, 'A Missing Page: Strengthening the Response to the Illegal Wildlife Trade', RUSI.org, 11 October 2018
The continued failure to target the proceeds of illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is undermining the response to this transnational crime. The London Conference on IWT represents a unique opportunity to open an effective and coordinated financial front against this pernicious and soon to be irreversible crime. |
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Cathy Haenlein, Tom Keatinge and Alexandria Reid, 'Endangered Animals: How "Following the Money" Could Save Lives', BBC, 10 October 2018
Around the world, illegal wildlife trade is having a devastating effect. Animals - both dead and alive - are being bought and sold on an industrial scale as food, pets, medicines and ornaments. The driver is basic: the pursuit of profit. Targeting the profits made by those involved could help protect them. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Veerle Nouwens, ‘Cracking Down on China's Distant Water Fishing Fleet: What Impacts Closer to Home?', RUSI.org, 21 September 2018
China has reportedly started cracking down on its distant water fishing fleet. This may be good news for environmental protection, but China watchers must pay attention to the potential knock-on effects. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'In Focus: The Battle against Organised Crime, Illicit Profits and Illicit Tobacco Trade', Stop Illegal, 28 June 2018
Key challenges exist in measuring the scale of illicit tobacco trade. These owe to the often hidden nature and the diverse forms this can take, from trade in counterfeit and contraband cigarettes, to illicit trade in components, loose tobacco, and counterfeit non-combustible inhaled tobacco products. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Alexander Babuta, ‘Commodity Smuggling in the Maghreb: A Silent Threat’, OCP Policy Center, Policy Brief (May 2018 PB-18/14), 17 May 2018
Illicit trade threatens security in myriad ways. In many cases, it intersects with wider forms of trafficking, and with the operations of non-state armed actors. Responses must not treat illicit trade as a distinct, discrete problem, to be addressed separately to other criminal activity in the region |
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Cathy Haenlein and Maria Eirini Papadouka, ‘Conference Report: Organised Crime and Illicit Trade in Europe’, 24 May 2017
In November 2016, RUSI convened a two-day conference, supported by the EU’s Hercule III Programme (2014–2020). The event brought together representatives from nine member states to assess the scale and scope of illicit trade across the region, and the extent of organised criminal involvement. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Tom Keatinge, 'Wildlife Crime is Financial Crime: The Response Needs to Reflect This', RUSI.org, 29 December 2016
Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is estimated to generate up to $23 billion per annum globally in illicit profits. Remarkably, it is still not being treated as organised crime. Greater recognition of IWT as financial crime is needed to allow financial crime tools, laws and responses to be deployed. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Tom Keatinge, ‘Follow the Money: How Financial Investigation Can Combat Poaching in Kenya’, Newsweek, 2 July 2016
In recent years, the Kenyan government's commitment to tackling wildlife crime has been considerable. Yet more ivory is still shipped through the port of Mombasa than any other route out of Africa. Attention should turn to financial investigation tools to identify those further up the chain - and their facilitators. |
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Cathy Haenlein, ‘How to Stop $1 Trillion Escaping Africa: Tackling Tax Evasion, Bribery and Corruption’, Salt Magazine, 30 June 2016
Illicit financial flows from the developing world are estimated to exceed $1 trillion. Since 2004, they are estimated to have grown by 6.5% per year. These flows may be the single greatest impediment to achieving the goals of the sustainable development era. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Ewan Lawson, ‘Stepping Up or Backing Down: The African Union in Burundi’, RUSI Newsbrief (Vol. 36, No. 2, March 2016)
The African Union is not normally known for controversial action against the wishes of African heads of state. It recently broke strikingly from this tradition, announcing an unprecedented plan to send 5,000 peacekeepers to protect civilians in Burundi, without that government’s consent. |
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Cathy Haenlein, ‘Trafficking Illegal Ivory in East Africa’, RUSI.org, 7 September 2015
‘Al-Shabaab fighters set up home in elephant reserve’ reported The Times recently. The ‘poaching-terrorism’ nexus has emerged as an increasingly potent narrative, tapping two hot-button topics. Yet significant elephant herds have long vanished from Boni, according to Elephant Database surveys. |
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Cathy Haenlein, ‘How Severe is the Terror Threat in East Africa?’, BBC, 20 July 2015
Final preparations are underway for US President Barack Obama to touch down in the Kenyan capital. As security personnel flood Nairobi, the president will step into a country where security and politics are closely entwined. His trip has provoked divergent assessments of the threat landscape. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Tom Maguire, ‘Countering the Illegal Wildlife Trade: Engaging from the Ground Up’, RUSI Newsbrief (Vol. 35, No. 4, July 2015)
From South Africa to Kenya, the poaching crisis has elicited a range of militarised responses - often prioritised over demand reduction and efforts to engage the communities most affected. Yet experience in other areas has shown hard-security responses alone to be insufficient, with often short-term impact. |
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Cathy Haenlein, ‘Nigeria Post-Election: Bellwether of African Democracy?’, Al-Jazeera, 17 April 2015
Nigeria's 2015 presidential elections have been hailed as historic - the first time a sitting president had been voted out of office. Equally important was incumbent Goodluck Jonathan's acceptance of defeat - not a given on a continent in which rulers have often gone to great lengths to retain power. |
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Cathy Haenlein, ‘Can Chad Tip the Balance Against Boko Haram?’, RUSI.org, 12 March 2015
Boko Haram’s pledge of allegiance to Daesh of 7 March marks a growing recognition that the militant group is more than a regional problem. In 2015, all of Nigeria’s neighbours have committed to fight the insurgents as the threat beyond national borders has grown more tangible. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Ashlee Godwin, ‘Learning from Ebola in Sierra Leone, RUSI Newsbrief (Vol. 35, No. 1, Jan 2015)
The Ebola crisis has provided the greatest test of Sierra Leone's security sector since the end of the country's civil war. The performance of Sierra Leone’s security forces reveals much about the impact of security-sector reform over the past fifteen years, and offers critical lessons for future reform efforts. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Ashlee Godwin, ‘Ebola in Sierra Leone is Not Just a Health Crisis’, Al-Jazeera, 24 December 2014
As recent headlines have proclaimed, Christmas has been cancelled in Sierra Leone. In the run-up to Christmas Day, Sierra Leoneans are once again under lockdown, following the prohibition of public gatherings to celebrate the occasion. |
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Cathy Haenlein, ‘Justice and Security Reform: Development Agencies and Informal Institutions in Sierra Leone by Lisa Denney’, Book Review, RUSI Journal (Vol. 159, No. 6, December 2014)
Recognising the link between insecurity and injustice, donors have spent over $1 billion building the rule of law through justice sector reform. The fundamental contribution of Lisa Denney's Justice and Security Reform is to challenge the key modalities through which such reforms are presumed to work. |
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Cathy Haenlein ‘One Down: The Defeat of the M23 in the Eastern DRC’, RUSI Newsbrief (Vol. 34, No. 1, Jan 2014)
The defeat of M23 in the Eastern DRC marks the first time the Congolese government has defeated a major rebellion on its territory. The defeat means that, for the first time since 1996, Rwanda has lacked an allied armed group in the eastern Congo. For lasting peace to be reached, the key is what comes next. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'The UN Intervention Brigade: A Force for Change in DR Congo?', RUSI.org, 17 May 2013
In March, the UN Security Council approved the creation of a 3,000-strong 'Force Intervention Brigade', with a mandate to carry out 'targeted offensive operations' against rebel groups in eastern DRC. The first force of its kind within a UN peacekeeping mission, the deployment of the unit poses novel challenges. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'France in Mali: What Risk for the 'New' Hollande?, RUSI.org, 22 January 2013
As presidential candidate François Hollande edged out incumbent Sarkozy at elections last May, all eyes focused on the economy. Hollande's commitment to break with the historic project of 'Francafrique' has been largely overlooked. Yet with France's intervention in Mali, his position is coming under scrutiny. |
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Cathy Haenlein and Maria Luisa Caputo, 'Calcio e Cooperazione' ['Football and International Cooperation'], Africa e Mediterraneo (No. 71, 2010)
For the last month, the media has been dominated by the run up to the first World Cup ever held in Africa. This special issue examines both the history of football in Africa and its current political and social dynamics, from a range of different perspectives. |
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Cathy Haenlein, 'The EU-ACP Films Programme: Supporting the Cinema and Audiovisual Sector', EU-ACP Courier, No. 14, November/December 2009, p. 61
The Secretariat of the (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) ACP group of states has announced its support for 24 cinema and audiovisual projects worth €6.5 million. For the first time, the EU-ACP Films Programme, funded by the 9th European Development Fund, is being run directly by ACP states. |