Prospect of the Impacts of Information and Communication Technology on Social Crimes

The present article aims at reviewing the impact of emergence of modern information and Communication technologies such as internet, satellite and cell phone in formation of crimes in the next five years in Iran. Therefore, these technologies lead the police forces to expand the range of their activities to virtual and international world rather than continuing to deal with traditional crimes. Such environmental changes include threats and opportunities, which are the inevitable consequences of that change in the quantity and quality of crimes. In the quantity change, the number of crimes either enhances or reduces; while in the quality change, the nature of crimes and the process wherein they materialize is being considered. Two theories form the axis of the study. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods are used for assessing the theories. The under-survey statistical group includes managers and senior experts of IRI Police and those experts who are familiar with the process of selecting the research topic. Therefore, 40 individuals were selected based on Cockran formula as samples. Through using a questionnaire and referring to the documents and proofs, information is collected. The results achieved from analyzing information indicate that modern information technologies have affected the process through which crimes are formed through changing crime scenes, tools, methods and motivations for committing crimes, and as a result the quantity and quality of crimes change.