Chapter 4: Defining Intelligence-Led Policing

Community policing

  Policing philosophy?

Defined by its programs?

      neighborhood mini-stations customer satisfaction surveys foot patrols school visits Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) local newsletters Neighborhood Watch  Purpose – increase police legitimacy

Some CP definitions

  ‘A collaboration between the police and the community that identifies and solves community problems’ (CPC 1994) ‘An organizational strategy that leaves setting priorities and the means of achieving them largely to residents and the police who serve in their neighborhoods' (Skogan 2006b: 27–28)

CP key features

       Increases the interaction between the police and the community, either directly through collaboration or simply through consultation Attempts to provide named and accountable officers who know their area Gives communities a greater hand in driving police priorities Enhances decision-making at the lowest ranks of the police service Regains the legitimacy of police in the eyes of the public Allows a social service ethos to predominate, in which perceptions of community safety take priority Gives precedence to solving community problems over reactive law enforcement

Community policing

Broad Community policing Narrow Crime events

Operational focus

Offenders

Problem-oriented policing (POP)

  “The emphasis in problem-oriented policing is on directing attention to the broad range of problems the community expects the police to handle … and on how police can be more effective in dealing with them. … It recognizes that the ultimate goal of the police is not simply to enforce the law, but to deal with problems effectively – ideally, by preventing them from occurring in the first place.” Herman Goldstein (Foreword, in Scott 2000: vi)

POP key features

      Require officers and crime analysts to identify crime and disorder problems, and issues that cause harm to the community Seek a thorough and detailed analysis of a problem before determining a possible solution Allow that potential solutions to crime problems do not exclude the possibility of enforcement action by police, but often seek a long-term resolution that does not involve arrests Resolution of the underlying issue is at least as important as alleviation of the harmful consequences of the problem Greater decision-making and problem-solving freedom should be given to officers Evaluation of the outcome of a solution is required in order to determine success

SARA methodology

    Scanning  Identifying recurring problems and how the ensuing consequences affect community safety Analysis  Collecting and analyzing all relevant data on the problem, with the objective of revealing ways to alter the causes of the problem Response  Seeking out responses that might have worked elsewhere, identifying a range of local options, and then selecting and implementing specific activities that will resolve the problem Assessment  Testing data collected before and after the response phase in order to determine whether the response reduced the problem and, if not, to identify new strategies that might work

Problem-oriented policing (POP)

Broad POP Narrow Crime events

Operational focus

Offenders

Compstat

  Compstat is a police managerial accountability mechanism Compstat involves four principles:     Timely and accurate intelligence Effective tactics Rapid deployment Relentless follow-up and assessment

Accountability

  In a Compstat oriented police department, mid-level commanders are made accountable to the executive level of the police department for the management of crime in their basic command units. By encouraging accountability, it is believed that precinct captains and managers will make use of regular, detailed crime intelligence and from this intelligence flow determine an appropriate crime reduction strategy.

Compstat

Broad Compstat Narrow Crime events

Operational focus

Offenders

Original tenets of intelligence-led policing

    Target prolific and serious criminals Triage out most crime from further investigation Make greater strategic use of surveillance and informants Position intelligence central to decision-making (HMIC 1997: 1)

NIM Control Strategy

    The targeting of offenders The management of crime and disorder hot spots The investigation of linked series of crimes and incidents The application of preventative measures

What is intelligence-led policing?

 Intelligence-led policing…       is a management philosophy/business model aims to achieve crime reduction and prevention and to disrupt offender activity employs a top-down management approach combines crime analysis and criminal intelligence into crime intelligence uses crime intelligence to objectively direct police resource decisions focuses enforcement activities on prolific and serious offenders

Original situation of intelligence-led policing

Broad ILP #1 Narrow Crime events

Operational focus

Offenders

Intelligence-led policing definition

 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

Intelligence-led policing

Broad ILP #2 ILP #1 Narrow Crime events

Operational focus

Offenders

Easily defined?

Easily adopted?

Orientation?

Community No Superficially Neighborhoods Problem oriented Fairly easy Difficult Problems Hierarchical focus?

Who determines priorities?

Bottom-up Community concerns/demands Criteria for success?

Expected benefit?

Satisfied community Increased police legitimacy As appropriate for problem Crime analysis, but varies Reduction of problem Reduced crime and other problems CompStat Intelligence-led Yes Fairly easy, but still evolving At the technical level, but managerially challenging Police administrative units Managerially challenging Criminal groups, prolific and serious offenders Top down Top down Police management from crime analysis Lower crime rates Police management from crime intelligence analysis Detection, reduction or disruption of criminal activity or problem Reduced crime (sometimes other problems) Reduced crime and other problems

Policing paradigms

Broad Community policing POP ILP #2 Compstat ILP #1 Narrow Crime events

Operational focus

Offenders