Intelligence Led Policing: Ethical Issues

Intelligence Led Policing Ethical IssuesThe min important accounting by Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary set out the main elements of intelligence agency led policing and curse decline Policing With Intelligence (HMIC, 1997).Both report accepted the use of intelligence led policing tactics in crook offence reduction of high volume plagues such as vehicle theft and burglary which so further had only been utilise in tackling serious crime.The use of culture technology was seen as the major vehicle and conduit for managing the join ond information generated as a result of a change in constitution to intelligence led policing. The increasing fear in the community about crime and the fear of crime, coupled with a loss of confidence in the police, fuelled a drive towards an increase in private security arrangements. This stir up is seen in the growth of private security companies both(prenominal) residential and in shopping centres, initiated by both private citize ns, commercial premises owners and insurance companies.The desire and practice of amassing information resulted as part of the increase in the risk society (Maguire, 2000), but increased information and data does not necessarily star to crime reduction.Although the police may benefit from irritate to huge amounts of statistical data, some academics have suggested that the impulse for this has in fact emanated from other external institutions such as health, insurance and education establishments (Ericson and Haggerty, 1997). The data touch on by the police has been used by these establishments for their own risk assessment purposes rather than being used for crime reduction purposes.The recent requirement for the police service to produce annual and other reports and publishing key performance indicators which required statistical returns was another fundamental reason for the computerisation of criminal records. In fact some commentators argue that the computer systems argon b atomic number 18ly used in the adjure against crime reduction (Ratcliffe and McCullalgh, 1998).The unease which the police feel about the drive towards intelligence-led policing is set out in a report on Merseyside Police (Barton Evans, 2001). This research was undertaken over a twelve month period from April 1996 to April 1997. It uncovered that an intelligence-led plan of attack was adopted for all key service areas and not just crime with an emphasis on the sizeableness of circulating intelligence and focusing on the role of intelligence-led crime prevention strategies. The implementation of the new insurance was achieved by the cornerstvirtuoso of crime management units, force intelligence systems and a force intelligence bureau.In evaluating the new systems, the researchers were hindered because statistical data standardised across areas was not available. However based on a mixture of observation and talking to various officers, the researchers concluded that some areas of the process worked well whilst others displayed shortcomings.The obstacles to the new policy lay in different officers comprehension of proactivity with only limited training offered no distinction amongst information and intelligence no consistency of tasking meetings whose purpose was to increase intelligence gathering in from each one area the diverting of officers onto reactive probes.-The use of informers is seen as particularly valuable in crime investigation strategies. In a publication issued ten years ago the Audit Commission stated that informants are the life blood of CIA and have been vocal in calling for their increased use in the fight against crime (Giddens, 2004). Informants have been in use by the British police for many years and is sometimes referred to as the second oldest professionThe use of informers is fraught with complex connotations particularly around the integrity of the information received from them in the light of their motivation.An increase in intelligence-led policing has led to the traditional police-informer relationship being develop and put on a professional footing. The modern term for engaging with informants is human source readiness whereby the police can capture and utilise the knowledge and skill of those persons in society who have access to the criminal element within the community via an organised and structured HSC framework. It has been argued that there has been a dearth in the use of informants outside the sphere of organised crime (Innes, 2000).With the advent of intelligence-led policing the police-informer relationship has moved to a more than sophisticated professional and ethical system in respect of both recruitment and management of sources. The introduction in the UK of specific source handling units and HSM units in certain police areas have advanced a more professional approach to intelligence gathering.The relationship between police and sources remains a passing controversial area of ri ghtfulness enforcement. In particular when participant informers are encouraged to commit crime due to their particular relationship with the police, major concern is expressed (Billingsley) A participant informer is one who is permitted to carry on committing a crime so that the police can identify those main participants tangled in organising the criminal activity.Research shows that some police officers have a tendency to rely truly heavily on informants and to condone various criminal acts undertaken by some of their sources. If the use of informants becomes prolific it undermines the full-page criminal investigation process as it is shrouded in secrecy, and intrigue and somewhat lacking in legitimacy itself, undermining the precept of transparency and openess within the police service and compromising the adage that justice must be seen to be done. Additionally some relationships between officers and their sources are seen as unhealthy involving the controlling of sources b y selective distribution of information by police officers handling the informants. (Cooper and Murphy, 20). The potential harm to police legitimacy abandoned the ethical difficulties posed by the police/informer relationship has been highlighted by several commentators, (Dunningham and Norris, 1999).Dealing with informants practically places police officers in invidious circumstances. The police officer has to balance their appointed duties to detect and reduce crime with a moral obligation to be above bribery and corruption. They also have various official duties and all of these obligations need to be balanced when dealing in the slightly murky world of the criminal underworld with its temptations and people who would benefit from an officers downfall. Nothing it seems can be taken at face observe when dealing with informants. In his study of Melbourne police informers Settle noted the wide discrepancy between the heavy and the actual position of the police/informer relation ship.Police are expected to be accountable to the law for their methods whilst at the same time are under pressure to maintain order pragmatically (Settle, 1995 p.3) fundamentally this means that their actions must be justified in legalistic terms but such terms are at variance with several of the informal practices used in crime control such as informants.