Managing Intelligence: A Guide for Law Enforcement Professionals

Intelligence is used daily by law enforcement personnel across the world in operations to combat terrorism and drugs and to assist in investigating serious and organized crime. Managing Intelligence: A Guide for Law Enforcement Professionals is designed to assist practitioners and agencies build an efficient system to gather and manage intelligence effectively and lawfully in line with the principles of intelligence-led policing. Research for this book draws from discussions with hundreds of officers in different agencies, roles, and ranks from the UK, United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Highlighting common misunderstandings in law enforcement about intelligence, the book discusses the origins of these misunderstandings and puts intelligence in context with other policing models. It looks at human rights and ethical considerations as well as some of the psychological factors that inhibit effective intelligence management. With practical tips about problems likely to be encountered and their solutions, the book describes the "how to" of building an intelligence management system. It discusses analysis and the various methods of collecting information for intelligence purposes and concludes with a discussion of future issues for intelligence in law enforcement. Written by a practitioner with more than 30 years experience working in intelligence and law enforcement, the book helps professionals determine if what they are doing is working and gives them practical tips on how to improve. Based upon real-world empirical research, the book addresses gaps in current law enforcement procedures and integrates theory with practice to provide an optimum learning experience exploring the benefits of intelligence-led policing.