Degree of Doctor awarded to Kim Geurtjens for study about Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs in the Meuse-Rhine Euregion
We are proud to report that Kim Geurtjens obtained her doctorate degree after defending her PhD-dissertation on June 20th, 2022 at Maastricht University. As cross-border crime is a topic of interest in ITEM's research disciplines, Kim Geurtjens was taken on as a PhD-candidate in 2016 with Prof. Dr. Hans Nelen and Prof. Dr. Miet Vanderhallen as her supervisor and co-promotor. The academic distinction was conferred by supervisor Prof. Hans Nelen.
In her dissertation, titled “Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs in the Meuse-Rhine Euregion”, Kim Geurtjens presents an explorative and qualitative research design, aimed at highlighting issues surrounding OMCGs, revealing the role of national borders for OMCG-related crime and the Euregio Meuse-Rhine's approach to tackling it. When it comes to issues surrounding OMCGs, this phenomena causes concerns for local authorities, especially when inter-club conflicts arise and cross-border crime is concerned. Placing this phenomena in a cross-border context, Kim Geurtjens posed the following question:
What is the role of the national borders for OMCG-related crime and the response of OMCG-related crime in the Meuse-Rhine Euregion?
In her empirical research, she found that cross-border crime was often opportunistic, mostly drug-related and primarily involved external offenders across the border. After interviews with field experts there was no substantial indication of structural alliances or displacement among cross-border OMCG-chapters in terms of crime. OMCG-activities across the border mostly had a recreational setting, such as parties, funerals and ride outs. In a few cases, resistance from local authorities to provide a necessary permit would provide a reason for a chapter or recreational event to relocate. Furthermore, most offenders seemed to have a limited geographical scope; they mainly operated in a specific region. In cross-border drug-related crime external offenders (non-OMCG-members) played a role, highlighting the importance of looking at OMCG members’ broader social surroundings and their networks.
In her conclusive summary, Kim Geurtjens explains that the role of the national borders for OMCG-related crime and the response should mainly be viewed as a restricting factor for cross-border cooperation of police, justice and public administration. From all the data gathered the national borders mostly seem to influence the public response of authorities. The national borders divide the different regional territories and in doing so, they create different respective organisations, priorities, competences and work cultures. This makes cross-border information sharing and cooperation extremely difficult. Whereas reactive judicial and police cooperation is generally perceived as satisfactory, administrative cooperation and proactive information sharing is almost impossible and takes place sporadically. It is therefore unlikely that multi-agency cross-border responses to organised crime phenomena such as OMCGs will materialize anytime soon.
Her conclusive statement, however, indicates that there is still hope:
"A lengthy process with many bumps in the road, but the fact that there are people in the Meuse-Rhine Euregion pursuing such cooperation provides enough reason to be hopeful for the future".
Kim Geurtjens’ PhD-defence of June 20th, 2022 was recorded live and will be available online for a limited time:
Picture source: © J. Smits