Need to apply the concept of organized criminal activity when defining the concept of organized crime

Introduction. The article discusses the issue of the need to highlight the criminological concept of «organized crime», as well as the signs that define this phenomenon. The study of various author's approaches to understanding «organized crime» allows us to establish some characterizing features, such as: «criminal activity», «goal», «participants», «organization». At the same time, a comparative analysis with other types of crime, such as «economic», «professional» and «white collar», leads to the conclusion that the essence of «organized crime» is specific and occurs in each of these types. Each studied feature has its own relevance in defining the concept of «organized crime». In this connection, highlighting the concept of «organized crime» is necessary in order to characterize interconnected persons engaged in criminal activities.