Organised crime is the focus of this wide-ranging discussion with author, lecturer and academic, Professor Mark Galeotti. Criminal activities canvassed in the chat include people smuggling, the illicit drug trade, slavery, 3D printed weapons, human organ harvesting, and environmental crimes such as the smuggling of sand and counterfeit cacao beans.

Mark’s recent book – Homo Criminalis: How crime organises the world – covers the history and evolution of organised crime. It leaves the reader pondering the future and how authorities should tackle the challenges posed by criminal syndicates, who are professionalising in a process Mark describes as Darwinian.

Mark also talks about Russian organised crime and how it (and Russian society) is likely to change as a result of the country’s illegal war on Ukraine.

Homo Criminalis: How crime organises the world is published by Penguin Books. Mark Galeotti also produces a weekly podcast and regular blog on developments in Russia, called In Moscow’s Shadows.

If you enjoy the podcast but are not a subscriber to the APJ, please become one as subscriptions fund the podcast and the magazine. For more information, go to www.apjl.com.au

Host: Jason Byrnes APM

Guest: Professor Mark Galeotti

This is the third and final episode regarding the police investigation into the 2015 murder of Leeton High School teacher Stephanie Scott. The first two episodes focused on how police identified and brought to justice, the murderer Vincent Stanford. This episode concentrates on Vincent’s twin brother, Marcus.

Because twins have identical DNA, it was important for police to clearly establish Marcus’ location at the time of Stephanie’s death. When police became satisfied Marcus had been in South Australia, he was ruled out as a suspect. As events transpired however, Marcus became an accessory after the fact to murder.

Detectives Tim Clark and Justin Milne talk about their investigation of Marcus and then conclude with their thoughts on how they coped with the strains and stresses of the experiences associated with investigating these grim crimes.

The two crime case articles this series has referenced can be read in the APJ. ‘Merciless and Cold Blooded: The Murder of Bride to Be Stephanie Scott’ is in the September 2019 edition and ‘No End to the Sorrow’ is in the June 2025 edition. Both articles can be read online at www.apjl.com.au.

Host: Jason Byrnes APM

Guests: Tim Clark and Justin Milne

Following on from episode 49, Detectives Tim Clark and Justin Milne discuss how police were able to build a brief of evidence against Stephanie Scott’s murderer. This included locating Stephanie’s abandoned and burnt body near a campsite. The unique challenges facing police in rural areas are detailed in the episode, especially how detectives engaged with the cold-blooded killer. It’s a fascinating example of police working to bring justice for Stephanie’s family.

The crime case story this conversation references – Merciless and Cold Blooded: The Murder of Bride to Be Stephanie Scott – is in the September 2019 edition of the APJ. It can be read at www.apjl.com.au.

Note this episode discusses in a degree of detail, the murder and sexual assault of an innocent victim.

Host: Jason Byrnes APM

Guests: Tim Clark and Justin Milne