| dc.description.abstract | This dissertation will investigative the status of community intelligence within The National Intelligence Model (NIM) in order to explore the interrelationship between intelligence-led policing being adopted throughout the United Kingdom, together with the drive to improve the relationship between the police and the public. The aim of this work has been to research how intelligence is being defined within NIM, how community intelligence is both perceived and used by practioners, and to draw conclusions from the tensions between these two competing constructs. The study included focused interviews with 23 practitioners working within analysis and intelligence throughout the UK police service. This was combined with open-ended interviews with academics and persons working to implement NIM, and the use of secondary data to ensure reliability and validity. The results suggest that although there is a written statement within the NIM manual to focus on community issues within a NIM structure, this is not how it is working in practice.
The study found that police officers and informants were the most trusted and the most used sources of intelligence, and that the use of community intelligence was marginal. A combination of police culture, lack of knowledge amongst police managers and officers, the absence of a general definition of 'intelligence', a lack of guidance around community intelligence and the secrecy surrounding intelligence, stand out as factors that may explain the minor use of community intelligence, the latter being essential if the intention is to prioritise issues like community safety and quality of life within NIM. | en |
