James - Understanding Police Intelligence Work

The Key Themes in Policing series aims to support the growing number of policing modules on both undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as contribute to the development of policing professionals, both those new in service and existing practitioners. It also seeks to respond to the call for evidence-based policing led by organisations such as the College of Policing in England. By producing a range of high-quality, research-informed texts on important areas of policing, contributions to the series support and inform both professional and academic policing curriculums.

Representing the first contribution to the series, Understanding police intelligence work by Adrian James does just this. At the time of writing, set against a backdrop of increased fear and suspicion following recent terrorist attacks in several nations, the role of security services and the police in intelligence collection through communities and surveillance networks is in sharp focus. The UK budget announcement in November 2015 saw additional funding directed towards counter-terrorism and the expected funding cuts to police numbers have not materialised. At the same time, there remains continued concern over the proportionality and the power of the state in relation to balancing police effectiveness with due process, civil liberties and legitimacy.

Adrian James is a former police officer and now senior lecturer in criminal investigation at the University of Portsmouth with a history of working and conducting research in the use of intelligence in policing. Although this book is not an ethnography, the value of insider status in conducting research within the field and offering a balanced perspective between official processes and the reality of practice is crucial in presenting an accurate portrayal of the use of intelligence. Publication of this book could not be more timely, and, as the debates raised above take the stage, what the police do and how they do it will inevitably be closely scrutinised. Adrian James has structured his book to cover key areas that will relate to any review of intelligence ranging from theoretical influences on intelligence work through to legal frameworks, organisation structures, intelligence processes, professionalising the field, intelligence failures and challenges for the future. This book will serve as a useful introduction for newcomers to studying police intelligence while offering an objective analysis with insider knowledge to those already working in the field.

For

Melody, Laurence, Gareth and Evelyn

First published in Great Britain in 2016 by

Bristol BS2 8BB UK Tel +44 (0)117 954 5940 e-mail

North American office: Policy Press c/o The University of Chicago Press 1427 East 60th Street Chicago, IL 60637, USA t: +1 773 702 7700 f: +1 773-702-9756 e:

Policy Press 2016

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested

ISBN 978 1 44732 641 0 paperback
ISBN 978 1 44732 640 3 hardcover
ISBN 978 1 44732 643 4 ePub
ISBN 978 1 44732 644 1 Mobi

The right of Adrian James to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved: no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of Policy Press.

The statements and opinions contained within this publication are solely those of the author and not of the University of Bristol or Policy Press. The University of Bristol and Policy Press disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any material published in this publication.

Policy Press works to counter discrimination on grounds of gender, race, disability, age and sexuality.

Cover design by Policy Press
Front cover image: istock

Readers Guide
This book has been optimised for PDA.
Tables may have been presented to accommodate this devices limitations.
Image presentation is limited by this devices limitations.