Supplementary evidence by Dr Nicholas
Ridley, John Grieve Centre for Policing and Community Safety,
London Metropolitan University
THE INTELLIGENCE
PROCESS
At is simplest, use of intelligence is three
basic stages:
(1) the gathering of information,
(2) which is then analysed, and
(3) the results are given out. The whole intelligence
process is that of:
COLLECTION is the gathering in of all intelligence
usually carried out by investigators.
COLLATION is assembling all the intelligence
together in one receptacle, file, or databank.
EVALUATION is giving each piece of information
a graded value, generally in two parts, evaluating the source
of the information and the content of the information itself.
These are not always the same value:
— An impeccable and reliable source
can give over information that he/she is not entirely sure of
the total reliability, ie a police officer -impeccable source-can
overhear by chance a snippet of conversation where details are
unclear and the important name which was mentioned was not clearly
audible and it is only a possibility that the surname Davidson?
-or Davison?- or Davis?- was mentioned.
Evaluation = A 4 (source = A, impeccable; content
= 4 unknown or uncertain).
— A habitual criminal can give over
details of documents of which he/she was temporarily in possession,
and these are minutes of a Cabinet Office meeting. If he/she is
to be believed, then the content itself is impeccable.
Evaluation = C1 (source = C, usually unreliable;
content =1, impeccable).
In theory every piece of information should
be evaluated, and in theory information is not intelligence without
evaluation. However, in the event of copious amounts of data being
received, often at short notice, it is only possible to identify
the A1s and A2s, that is the most reliable or sound pieces of
information around which the hypothesis and analysis can be started.
ANALYSIS is working upon the collected collated
and evaluated data, by research and interpretation. It is examining
the data, further researching some aspects finding out more facts/data
and formulating hypothesis and making progress in establishing/ascertaining:
— the exact nature of the criminality
occurring;
— who is/are involved, to what extent
he/she/they are involved and the respective roles in the ongoing
criminality;
— researching and finding out further
information about the individual(s),ie current addresses, alternative
addresses, current associates, personal circumstances, wives/husbands/partners,
financial details;
— identifying and suggesting further
lines of inquiry; and
— assisting in progressing the overall
direction of the inquiry or operation.
DISSEMINATION is giving out the findings or
results of analysis. These are usually in the form of analytical
reports, either informal or formal, often illustrated graphically
with charts depicting, individual links between criminals, or
time-scales showing important sequence of events and the cause
and effect relationship or flow charts showing criminal finance
flow.
The informal reports may be preliminary update
analysis of the current situation combined with follow up further
questions to investigators or formal longer reports giving a complete
analysis of the situation.
It is submitted that the crucial aspect is that
analysis must result in added value, ie the provision of additional
hitherto unknown or unperceived intelligence and/or new or alternate
lines of inquiry for the investigation, or a differing interpretation
of the overall situation.
In the context of the intelligence process the
so-called analysis work files have little or nothing to do with
analysis; they form stages two and three of the intelligence process.
The name, or term, Analysis Work File
In this context, it is submitted that an Analysis
Work File is nothing less, but nothing more than a database which
holds and stores intelligence.
In the context of Europol Analysis Work Files
the name was a somewhat misguided attempt to emphasise regulatory
empowerment and regulatory constraints. A Work file is a computer
based database divided into differing folders, each containing
intelligence contributed by the differing Member States. The investigative
and law enforcement representatives from contributing Member States
have access to the computed based database, but only to the folder
containing the intelligence of their Member State; the analysts
working within the work file project have access to all the folders
ie all the data. In this way Member States can contribute data
but it is not automatically shared amongst all participating Member
States, thereby ensuring that each contributing Member State retains
some form of control and ownership of the data sent to Europol.
Analysts have access to all the data in every folder, but cannot
work on any other data received which is not, or has not, been
inputted into the folder or AWF.
It was this role of analysts, that of having
access to all data/contributions within the work file but only
able to utilise data which is only in the work file (ie not use
or mix data received from other sources or Member States not part
of the work file group) that engendered the name "Analysis
Work Files".
To avoid confusion over function it may be of
benefit to perceive AWFs as simply "work files" or even
files, as in filing cabinets, cardboard files, folders on a computer
containing information, database. AWFs hold the data, and store
the data, as any other database or file.
The Europol definition of analysis as "the
assembly, processing or utilization of data with the aim of helping
a criminal investigation"
This definition appears not only to be out of
date but arguably is stultifying to analysis. It mixes and confuses
analysis and the whole five stage intelligence process.
The assembly of data is the collection stage;
the processing is that of the collation and evaluation stages,
ie the creation and data inputting of the Analysis Work File.
Only the utilisation refers to analysis, ie the working upon/analysing
the data, and the subsequent dissemination.
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