The history of the safe furnishes the illustration of the fact that when the police and others invent devices for foiling criminals, the criminal soon event devices for foiling those protective devices. 'Seventy five years ago, the safe was locked with a key. Full-time safe-burglars learned to pick the locks, and the combination lock was invented. The criminals rigged a lever by means of which the whole spindle of the combination lock could be pulled out and the safe opened. When correction was made to prevent this, the burglars drilled holes in the safe and inserted gunpowder or dynamite.

Then the manufacturers made the safe 'drill proof', and burglars secured harder drills with more powerful leverage. When the manufacturers used harder materials, the clever burglars turned to nitro-glycerine, which could be inserted in minute cervices around the door where powder and dynamite would not enter. The safe- makers developed doors that fitted so perfectly that nitro-glycerine could not be inserted in the cracks. The burglars then adopted the oxyacetylene torch, and the manufacturers devised a compound which was proof against the torch. Somewhere in this progression the burglars began to kidnap bankers and compel them to open the safe, and to prevent this, the time lock was invented. It is also somewhat paradoxical to observe that systems approach has not been utilized in the study of 'criminals and criminal organizations'.

Information and concepts from such study will contribute to understanding of criminal behavior, sociology and social organization of financial crime. Such understanding would also contribute to tools in the toolbox of policy makers in dealing with this menace without doing violence to basic freedoms (Adapted from Criminal Organization, Pp94/95; D Cressey)

Counter-Fraud Efforts have always been plagued with catching ups and not proactively working a step ahead of criminals hence the deluge of unresolved financial crimes and failed prosecutions.