Intelligence-Led Policing and Civil Liberties



Intelligence-Led Policing and Civil Liberties

Intelligence-led policing is a business model and managerial philosophy where data analysis and crime intelligence are pivotal to an objective, decision-making framework that facilitates crime and problem reduction, disruption and prevention through both strategic management and effective enforcement strategies that target prolific and serious offenders .

The police cannot operate without information and have in recent years become more intelligence-led focussed. Most forces have moved away from the reactive style of policing into a more modern community focussed style of policing. It began with Problem Orientated Policing (POP) and into the new and updated system called Reassurance policing. Reassurance policing is co-dependant on intelligence-led policing. The first issue is to use intelligence data to identify where problems are and when they occur.

This intelligence is almost symbiotic with advanced technology systems, such as the Police National Computer, and forces local intelligence pods or officers who amass a wide range of information. These technologies are seen as vital new tools in crime-fighting and are also seen as a necessary response for the police to adopt in relation to the changing nature of some crime. Criminals are becoming more and more techno literate and in some areas have the police at a distinct disadvantage. One clear example of the gap is in areas such as child abuse and money laundering.

The days of the dirty old man in a mac and the sackful of money are almost a thing of the past. If a paedophile wants to see children he or she no longer needs to go to a school or playground, they just have to access the relevant web-site. Simarily the days of walking into a bank to deposit proceeds of a robbery / burglary are also virtually non-existent. One just needs to tap in a few numbers to open accounts and electronically deposit what is required. This has obviously caused the police to re-think the strategy on how to catch these persons. Recent high profile cases such as Gary Glitter show clearly how technology has caught out a what was until then an British icon and who was once again building up a large following as the 'leader' once again. Cases like those involving Harold Shipman and The Soham Murders have propelled the information technology systems forward at an astronomical rate.

Plans to create a national information sharing and intelligence capability to meet the operational needs of the police service are well under way following the Bichard Inquiry into the Soham murders.

The work has been given added impetus as a result of the Bichard Inquiry, which looked at the adequacy of child protection procedures, national and local intelligence systems, vetting procedures and information sharing, after Ian Huntley was allowed to slip through the net to become a school caretaker.

Events in Soham highlighted that there is a considerable amount of information held by individual forces that must be shared more widely and made available nationally. (HMSO 2005)

One of the largest leap forwards is the initiative and the ...