ANALYTICAL ACTIVITY AND DIGITAL TOOLS AS A MANDATORY COMPONENT OF THE INVESTIGATIVE METHODOLOGY FOR CRIMES COMMITTED BY ORGANISED CRIMINAL GROUPS

Abstract

This study examines the role of analytical activity and specialized IT tools in the methodology for investigating crimes committed by organized criminal groups, arguing that their integration does not represent merely a technical-methodological modernization, but a fundamental shift in the investigative paradigm – from a reactive model to a proactive, intelligence-led one. The objectives pursued include: (1) demonstrating that analytical activity and IT tools constitute a mandatory, not optional, component of forensic methodology in cases involving organized criminal groups; (2) identifying the typology of applicable IT tools (digital forensics, OSINT, social network analysis, Big Data, artificial intelligence) and the manner of their integration into the intelligence cycle; (3) analyzing the national practice of law enforcement institutions and comparative international experience.
The research findings confirm that, in over 70% of cases involving organized criminal groups investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases during 2020–2024, digital evidence played a decisive role, while the lack of an integrated analytical protocol constitutes the main cause of evidentiary failure. The theoretical and practical implications of the study concern the completion of the criminal procedural legal framework of the Republic of Moldova with explicit regulations on the use of IT tools in investigating organized criminal groups, as well as the development of national methodological protocols aligned with Europol and UNODC standards.