Chapter 4: Defining
Intelligence-Led Policing
Community policing
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Policing philosophy?
Defined by its programs?
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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
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‘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
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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
Problem focus
Community
policing
Narrow
Crime events
Operational focus
Offenders
Problem-oriented policing (POP)
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“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
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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
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Scanning
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Analysis
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Collecting and analyzing all relevant data on the problem, with
the objective of revealing ways to alter the causes of the
problem
Response
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Identifying recurring problems and how the ensuing
consequences affect community safety
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
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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)
Problem focus
Broad
POP
Narrow
Crime events
Operational focus
Offenders
Compstat
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Compstat is a police managerial accountability
mechanism
Compstat involves four principles:
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Timely and accurate intelligence
Effective tactics
Rapid deployment
Relentless follow-up and assessment
Accountability
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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
Problem focus
Broad
Compstat
Narrow
Crime events
Operational focus
Offenders
Original tenets of intelligence-led policing
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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
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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?
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Intelligence-led policing…
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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
Problem focus
Broad
ILP #1
Narrow
Crime events
Operational focus
Offenders
Intelligence-led policing definition
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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
Problem focus
Broad
ILP #2
ILP #1
Narrow
Crime events
Operational focus
Offenders
Easily
defined?
Community
Problemoriented
CompStat
Intelligence-led
No
Fairly easy
Yes
Fairly easy, but still
evolving
Managerially challenging
Easily
adopted?
Superficially
Difficult
At the technical level,
but managerially
challenging
Orientation?
Neighborhoods
Problems
Police administrative
units
Criminal groups, prolific
and serious offenders
Hierarchical
focus?
Bottom-up
As appropriate
for problem
Top down
Top down
Who
determines
priorities?
Community
concerns/demands
Crime analysis,
but varies
Police management
from crime analysis
Police management from
crime intelligence
analysis
Criteria for
success?
Satisfied
community
Reduction of
problem
Lower crime rates
Detection, reduction or
disruption of criminal
activity or problem
Expected
benefit?
Increased police
legitimacy
Reduced crime
and other
problems
Reduced crime
(sometimes other
problems)
Reduced crime and other
problems
Policing paradigms
Broad
Problem focus
Community
policing
POP
ILP #2
Compstat
ILP #1
Narrow
Crime events
Operational focus
Offenders