Crime in the Empire

[Dapper Dog]

Crime in the Empire

Officially Crime is non-existent in the orderly Empire, and in truth that holds true in many core regions of the Empire. Criminals have a hard time recruiting due to the higher living conditions and the extreme response of the Imperial authorities. Imperial Security Forces is a branch of the Imperial Armed Forces focused on curtailing civilian dissent and public security. Protecting and serving the populace is not their goal, protecting the interests of the State are primary. The State has a vested interest in crime reduction and protection of State assets, which is how the Empire views the citizens and their urban centers.

Their approach to crime prevention is extreme suppression, apprehension comes second to that primary goal. Incarceration of criminals is uncommon unless they have a valid use to the state or come from important families. The security forces are militarized, with access to combat droids, military small arms, and combat armor and are well trained in the use of the equipment. Investigators are called in only for serious matters that are of concern to the authorities or to track down dissidents. Bounty Hunters sometimes see use as well, if the target merits the expense or if they flee to regions where a strong Imperial presence is detrimental to the mission.

That said crime still blooms in the Empire sometimes supported by the Hutt Cartels or other large scale networks, but these operations tend to have better success in the frontier regions than the Core sectors. The usual method is to bribe officials and military personnel, with exorbitant fees. This can get tricky dealing with the Sith though, as many Sith see money as nothing more than an abstraction and also their reputation for betrayal makes any deal precarious.

The most common criminal activities are dealing in illicit drugs, smuggling of contraband, and white collar crime. Successful criminals tend to operate in small networks shielded by Imperial officials on their payroll. They avoid confrontations with the Sith and tend to reside behind shell corporations or local businesses.

Dissidents although not commonly considered criminals in most places are the other major concern for the Imperial Security. These are individuals who are a threat to the state through action or ideology. Usually supporting some pet cause through violence, terror, or rhetoric; they form cells and rarely have the resources for bribery instead relying anonymity to stay beneath notice until they strike.

The strongest method to combat this is to maintain a police state stance in most Core sectors, with propaganda to beware the enemies of the state who wish to destroy the way of life enjoyed by most Imperial citizens. To report any out of the ordinary activity to their local Security personnel and to reward citizens for exposing their neighbors as dissidents.

As the saying goes, “The only true friend, is the Imperial Security Officer and the State.”