The Human Cost of Deception: Economic Crime as a Public Harm in Ireland
The 12th annual Irish Criminal Justice Agencies Conference on the theme of economic crime will take place on Friday, October 9th 2026 in the Revenue Commissioners Building, An Lár, O’Connell Street.
This event will examine the evolving nature of economic crime in Ireland and the policy, institutional and societal challenges it presents. Participants will be encouraged to reframe economic crime as a public harm issue, with significant implications for social cohesion and trust in institutions, as opposed to a niche “white-collar” or financial sector concern.
Bringing together perspectives from academia, government, law enforcement, regulators, industry and civil society, the conference will explore how Ireland can strengthen its response to an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving threat landscape. Through interdisciplinary discussion, participants will consider whether existing legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks remain fit for purpose in an increasingly digital economy, and what a more effective, coordinated and future-ready response might look like.
Key themes include:
- The social harms and human impact of economic crime: Economic crime extends well beyond financial loss. It erodes confidence in public and private institutions, financial systems, markets and the rule of law, while weakening public trust, institutional legitimacy and social cohesion.
- Digitalisation and emerging technologies: Artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, digital financial systems and increasingly sophisticated online deception techniques have transformed the economic crime landscape. These developments have lowered barriers to entry for criminal actors while increasing the scale, speed and complexity of fraud and other illicit activities.
- The importance of interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration: Economic crime is evolving more rapidly than institutional responses. Addressing these challenges requires sustained collaboration across academia, government, regulators, law enforcement, industry and civil society to develop more integrated approaches to prevention, enforcement and victim support.
Participants will be encouraged to consider:
- How can Ireland better recognise and respond to the human and societal impacts of economic crime, and what would a victim-centred, whole-of-society approach look like?
- Are Ireland's legal, regulatory and enforcement frameworks equipped to keep pace with the changing nature of economic crime, particularly in an increasingly digital economy?
- What legal, policy and institutional reforms are needed to ensure economic crime is recognised and addressed as a serious public harm, rather than primarily as a regulatory or compliance issue?
Confirmed plenary speakers include...
Colm Kincaid, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland
Giuseppe Lopez, Head of the European Financial and Economic Crime Centre, Europol
James Hamilton, Chair of Ireland’s Advisory Council Against Economic Crime and Corruption
Padraigh Donnelly, Principal Officer, Investigation, Prosecution and Frontier Management Division, Revenue Commissioners
Ray Briscoe, Head of the Financial Crime Unit, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
With more speakers to follow...
📅 Save the Date: Friday 9th October 2026
More details and registration coming soon!
The ICJA is a collaborative initiative involving key agencies in the criminal justice system, managed by the ACJRD. Member agencies include the Office of the Revenue Commissioners (lead collaborator for 2026), Oberstown Children Detention Campus, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Probation Service, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, the Irish Prison Service, An Garda Síochána, the Policing & Community Safety Authority, the Courts Service, and the Parole Board.
The ICJA conference is aimed at those working in government agencies and in the community, including policymakers, practitioners, academics, civil society and a wide range of disciplines that focus on all those affected by the Criminal Justice System.
Staff of criminal justice agencies and partner organisations, please email admin@acjrd.ie for details of the contact person within your organisation.
- CPD Points: Attendance at the event may qualify for CPD points. Qualification is determined by the points’ issuer. ACJRD is happy to provide certificates of attendance on request. For GDPR purposes, attendance lists will be deleted after 12 months and it will no longer be possible to provide certificates of attendance after that. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. after the event if you will require a certificate of attendance.
- Photographs are taken ACJRD's event, please let a member of ACJRD's team know if you do not want your photo taken.
- ISL Interpretation is available by request, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Thursday October 1 2026 if you require this service. We would appreciate an early booking to facilitate the interpreter arrangements.