F. whereas Europol's SOCTA 2013 estimates that there are at least 3 600 criminal organisations currently active in the EU and acknowledges that the most widespread features of these organisations are their network style and cooperative approach, their strong presence in the international legal economy, their tendency to focus on – especially in the larger organisations – different criminal activities at the same time and the fact that as many as 70 % of existing organisations have members of different nationalities, thereby demonstrating the transnational nature of the phenomenon;

(9) Within the comprehensive framework of the Internal Security Fund, the financial assistance provided under this Instrument should support police cooperation, exchange of and access to information, crime prevention, the fight against cross-border, serious and organised crime including terrorism, the protection of people and critical infrastructure against security related incidents and the effective management of security related risks and crisis, taking into account common policies (strategies, programmes and action plans), legislation and practical co-operation.

(9) Within the comprehensive framework of the Internal Security Fund, the financial assistance provided under this Instrument should support police cooperation, exchange of and access to information, crime prevention, the fight against cross-border, serious and organised crime including terrorism, trafficking in human beings and child sexual exploitation and distribution of child abuse images, the protection of people and critical infrastructure against security related incidents and the effective management of security related risks and crisis, taking into account common policies (strategies, programmes and action plans), legislation an ...[+++]d practical co-operation.

Member States have already committed to establishing these mechanisms by the end of 2012 in the context of the EU Policy Cycle to fight serious and organised crime[19].

In the EU Policy Cycle to fight serious and organised crime, Member States have recognised in the strategic goals and operational actions the importance of being innovative, multidisciplinary and proactive to better investigate and prosecute cases of trafficking in human beings.

In this context, it is often very difficult to separate large-scale organised crime, large-scale criminal phenomena, and what is known as small-scale crime; this is particularly true of urban areas, one example being drug distribution and drug pushing.