Redefining Digital Justice
Countering Financial Crime & Terrorist Financing.
“Strengthening Europe’s ability to trace money flows, disrupt terrorist financing, and outpace organised crime in the digital age.”
The CrimeTech Programme was a major European research and innovation initiative addressing the growing convergence between organised crime and terrorism. Criminals increasingly exploit the dark web, cryptocurrencies, and emerging technologies to finance and conceal illicit activities. This programme developed new tools, methods, and collaborations to help law enforcement agencies disrupt those networks.
International Collaboration
CrimeTech brought together a 10-partner consortium across Europe, combining expertise from:
- 3 businesses – security technology and data analytics specialists
- 3 universities – leaders in criminology, digital forensics, AI, and data science
- 4 law enforcement and Ministry of Interior partners
This cross-sector collaboration created a truly pan-European approach, aligning research, technology, and operational practice.
Key Innovations
- Next-generation AML/CTF tools: AI-driven risk engines that reduced false positives and flagged genuine high-risk transactions.
- Cryptocurrency & dark web analytics: Novel tools to trace blockchain activity, monitor darknet marketplaces, and uncover hidden service directories.
- European Living Labs: Secure test environments in the UK, Italy, Cyprus, and Serbia where LEAs trialled digital toolkits in realistic conditions.
- Data provenance & legal admissibility: Frameworks ensuring digital evidence met GDPR and court standards, bridging the gap between technology and legal process.
- Specialist training: Online and in-person training in cryptocurrencies, dark web investigations, terrorist financing models, and digital forensics.
Impact
- Developed a prototype EU-wide platform for tracking illicit financial flows.
- Strengthened cross-border cooperation between police, ministries, and regulatory agencies.
- Built a clear commercialisation pathway for adoption across Europe and international markets.
- Advanced both practice and research, producing case studies, operational models, and academic publications.
Funding & Strategy
The programme was supported through two rounds of Innovate UK funding, enabling the development of prototypes and pilots that became the commercially available Synalogik Scout platform.
To scale this innovation across Europe, I authored and coordinated a £7M Horizon bid, designing the full strategy, technical architecture, modular work packages, and Target Design Authority for system build and integration.