Criminology

Security, Intelligence, and Policy

Introduction
The emergence of new technologies all over the world has led to subsequent emergence of new challenges in the security enhancement. Stringent security enhancement has been witnessed in a number of areas which in turn has led to compromise of other social values and norms directly or indirectly associated with the manner in which the society operates. Previously, security forces have been known to work independently in the implementation of the laid down policies without due consideration of the actual challenges faced both within and outside the communities and other areas of their jurisdiction. For efficiency and effectiveness in carrying out their duties, it is very crucial that the police force integrate certain aspects of intelligence, knowledge base, dynamic community policing skills, while at the same time ensuring that they do not ignore the continued global changes in police governance and management strategies.

Technology should be integrated into the police force management strategies with the core intention of ensuing that the public receives timely, relevant, and efficient services hence the existence of a coherent society. Understanding of the fact that community support is vital for the success of the police force service delivery is crucial. Rather than to concentrate on the use of force and security weapons, the police departments need to encourage abstract thought, proper planning and strategic realignment of their activities, reasoning, collaborative resolution of conflicts and addressing of challenges faced, streamlined non bureaucratic communication, and constant learning of new emerging trends in the police force across the global arena.

Knowledge-Based Policing
Effective policing demands the combination of available policies and principles in the proper execution of the roles of the police. The intellectual capacity of the police, in the process of knowledge based policing, plays a fundamental role in ensuring that the decisions arrived at are most upright and reliable and do not, in any way, contradict the available information that relates to the intelligent information available in the police knowledge base. All the competing policies should be assessed and the most appropriate decisions pertaining to issues arrived at. Crime control through the use of knowledge-based policing mainly focuses on the laid down strategies and intelligent analysis of the faced risks. Reactive response to crimes should be avoided. Forward looking strategies which focus on the future betterment of the police force rather than concentrating on short term beneficial strategies of security ought to be enhanced.

The national intelligent model is a better example of knowledge based policing. Police practices are standardized across states and countries in order to facilitate faster assistance and collaborative policing efforts whenever need arise. The core function of knowledge based policing is to realize an increase in the crime detection rate and the overall reduction in the level of criminal offences. The success of the knowledge-based policing heavily depend on the technological advancement and increment in the level of awareness of the efforts being made by the police to curb crimes and the importance of community participation in enhancing a peaceful and coherent society. Additionally, the investment of resources in more proactive approaches of investigating crimes and mainstreaming the efforts and avoid using the crucial resources to specialized police squads should be done.

Local level of law enforcement, regional police issues, and the international threats should be worked out, the threats properly understood and then intelligent strategies employed to adequately address the crime issue. Long term goals ought to be set in order to ensure that criminal intelligence, community based intelligence, and contextual intelligence which mainly relate to the economic, social and cultural security factors are fully understood and dealt with in a timely, more efficient and cost effective way.

It is evident from the researches carried out that knowledge based community policing on the diverse law enforcement issues drastically reduce crime rates and minimizes the long term cost and complexities in enforcing law and order in the society. It is also much easy to foster an ethical society that fully abides by the law ones the community members are encompassed and fully encouraged to participate in enforcing security within the society.

Impact of Knowledge Based Community Policy on Law Enforcement
In any given society, the security related challenges are normally many and diverse and may vary from time to another with slight change in the environmental factors. Community policing efforts targets to integrate the community members in enforcing law and detecting crim9nal offenders.

It strives to ensure that the community members fully understand the importance of having a peaceful society after which they actively participate in policing activities such as detecting criminal and reporting them to the relevant authorities within the shortest time possible. Both the community and the police bear the responsibility of the crimes undertaken within the society. For instance, in England and Whales, community safely continuous to be realized through the partnership between the police and the community members.

Knowledge based community policy in the process of law enforcement is crucial as it reduces the overall costs of policing. Rather than employ very many policemen who may never attain the set objectives, community policing acts as a supplement since the community members willingly and freely participate in policing their society. In addition to that, this approach narrows the justice gap and evidence for the criminal offenders is easily availed from the community members ones needed in the courts of law. This approach is also very compatible with the various business processes and is more holistic in its aims as it also facilitates increment in the accessibility and visibility of the police.

Furthermore, knowledge based policy on law enforcement would provide room for the reduction of the fear of crimes and the actual crimes in society, increase the confidence of people in the police force, boost the community efficacy, drastically uncouth and antisocial behaviours in the community, while at the same time ensuring that intelligence gathering is improved. Intelligence led crime reduction rather than the normal intelligence led policing is also realized when law is enforced by the police with close attention being paid to the community being served.

Problem-Oriented Approach
Contrary to the previous perception of the police force as simply being in place to resolve already existing problems and not concentrating on the root causes of the problems, the trend seem to be challenging. The current trends within the intelligence led policing lay a lot of emphasis on addressing the actual causes of the problems and crime related challenges in the society. The intelligence led community policing mainly focuses on the various challenges and threats to security in the community then works towards ensuring that the problems are adequately addressed.

On its own, community policing is inadequate unless proper strategic approach and analysis of the changes associated with policing are fully addressed. The problem oriented approach moves away from the previous belief that the larger the number of police in a give community, the more efficient it is. The new approaches concentrate on increasing the efficiency of the police force by laying down mechanisms and policies that would entice the community to actively collaborate with the police force in identifying the sources of crimes.

After the identification process, both the community and the police set out to research on the possible solution to the prevailing problems and security threats. Thereafter, the optimal solution is implemented and constant follow-up continuous as this cycle of crime investigation and policing trend continues.12
Bureaucratic procedures and strong emphasis on various leadership positions are not emphasized and they, in most cases, slow the justice process and make the entire policing process very inefficient and cost ineffective.

Additionally, the problem oriented approach begins by an in-depth process of understanding the human rights and privileges and other motivating factors that would entice people to want to participate in security enhancement.

Violation of basic human rights are avoided whenever the problem approach of policing is used as the community members, both the youths and the edged, and the police in collaboration with other human rights and security experts openly share their views and though on the issues they consider contentious in the policing process.

Strategic Use of Information
Rather than wait to act based on the overall reaction of people within the community or based on the number of incidences that takes place, intelligent policing through the use of information enable the police force to strategically lay down their plans and be able to focus on the future. Laying down of strategies enable the police force to fully and adequately plan for the available resources, the coverage of the area to be policed, the number of police force to be recruited and the possible changes needed to be done. Use of information also enable the force to focus on the future and be able to ensure that the police force is adequately equipped with better knowledge and information that relates to the changing trends in policing. Engagements such as community meetings, telephone surveys, mass media advertising, street briefings, dropping of letters and memos, and public gathering could be used disseminating information to the public and conveying stipulated policies that relate to efficient and more strategic policing approach.

Through the strategic utilization of information, a problem oriented and intelligent approach of solving insecurity problems is employed.  It is evident that police may collect information from the community being policed but, unless the vital information is put into a well organized use through planning and organization, then the information may end up being misused and even rendered irrelevant. Expertise should be hired to translate the acquired knowledge based on the challenges facing both the police force and the community and then lay down the best strategies of resolving the identified challenges based on the acquired information. Strategic use of information can however only best be used if the community is not threatened and the identity of individuals that provide sensitive and vital information concealed and where necessary the individuals offered lifetime security backup.

Strategic use of information could also be done through the use of hard intelligence, constant acquisition of new information, and the building of a community based police information database. The police should ensure that the acquired information is not used to create tension and divisions in the community, but instead be utilized in enhancing cohesion and better friendships among the community members.

Police Efficient Resource Utilization
Resource acquisition and utilization is a very sensitive area that deserves to be accorded special attention the management of the police force and delivery of their services to the community being policed. The current increase in the fraud and corruption cases both within the country and on the global scene demands that an efficient and a more transparent approach to resource utilization are used.

Resource allocation in various police departments should be done after an in-depth need analysis has been carried out in order to avoid cases of misappropriation of resources. While it may be important to enhance flexibility in the process of resource usage, better use of police resources can only be achieved through frequent auditing being done by both internal and external auditors. Experts in the accounting and finance management fields should always be consulted in situations where large sums of money are involved in order to ensure accountability, transparency, and equitable resource allocation and expenditure.

Better use of police resources does not necessary means lack of fraudulent spending of money. Transparency entail ensuring that the resources spend are used to address the challenges the community faces in the timeliest, efficient, ethically upright, and effective manner possible.22
19Park Amey, Charles Hale and Smith Uglow, Development and the Evaluation and Management of Crimes The Management Models, (1996), Police Research Series Paper 18, Home Office, London, 12.
20Peter Reuter and Edwin M Truman, Chasing dirty money the fight against money laundering (2004), 4-12.

Raymond above n 14.
The police force should adequately be remunerated and offered favourable working conditions, necessary equipments, proper housing and the generally welfare and their diverse working needs addressed. Furthermore, their insecurity concerns should be addressed by ensuring that the available resources are strategically spent to cater for the constant challenges faced while on duty. Forecast on the future needs and challenges of the police force and the entire community should also be addressed in the resource allocation process. Through intelligence policing, the needs of the community should be interpreted both within and outside the actual police environment to ensure that the resource are adequately allocated thus positively impacting on the society.

Emergence of Knowledge Based Police
Crime rates have continued to skyrocket and the need to integrate intelligence with the traditional methodologies of policies. Evolution of new technologies has even complicated the manner in which crimes are committed through the integration of new technologies in criminal acts. The need for timely service delivery from the police force has led to the use of new technologies such as knowledge based information systems and wireless communication in order to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the modern policing.

Knowledge data is collected from the police intelligent departments and the entire community, combined together and then a critical analysis carried out. Rather than continue with the more traditional approach of cooperative, case based, and tactical police force, the emergence of the knowledge based policing has continued to foster the use of strategies and utilization of information through the modern management groups and organizational management.

Better resource utilization is a core by-product of the integration of the usage of a knowledge based approach of policing. Knowledge based policing encourages transparency and the knowledge acquired from the community and intelligent organizations are mainly focused are ensuring efficiency and effectiveness of the services rendered by the police force. To fully realize the benefits of the knowledge based approach of community policing, it is evident that policing would continue to use community based support officers. The role of the police would also continue to evolve from the commonly known arresting and arraigning in the court of law role to a more social, friendly, and humane approach of dialoguing and resolving issues even outside the courts of law. As is evidenced by the current policing trends in Northern Ireland, Netherlands, and France, knowledge based policing also enhance efficient resource utilization, effectiveness, a more secure environment that benefits from the streamlined police services, better relationships amongst the police force, a more open and coherent society, and an efficient justice system.

Impact of Knowledge Based Police on Law Enforcement
A number of both positive and negative impacts of knowledge based policing do exist. Law enforcement has continued to benefit more from the emergence of the knowledge based policing approach. To begin with, utilization of knowledge based policing motivates community members to collaborate with the police in order to create a peaceful society. Lack of cooperation between the police and the law enforcers normally results into a very restricted and restrained relationship. Lack of cooperation between the community and the police force may also lead to insufficient evidences to suspects of certain crimes whenever the suspects are arraigned in a court of law. Inefficiency, ineffectiveness, and elongated process judicial processes are common phenomenon in none knowledge based policing.

Despite the demerits of community policing, the usage of law enforcement leads to a more social society. The law enforcement process thus becomes more efficient and effective through the usage of knowledge based policing. Knowledge based policing leads to streamlined process of law enforcement.

Resources are efficiently used to hire more competent lawyers and judges in the courts of law and ensure that the most appropriate judgment is arrived at. Such a system would make the law enforcement work easier as the society will be more cooperative due to the fact that the society members would be enjoying a coherent relationship with a better understanding of the need to foster a peaceful society. The scope of law enforcement would also broaden and a wider perspective employed due to the need to ensure that all aspects of crimes and insecurity are addressed.

However, in some instances where more information has to be collected from the community as evidence in criminal and other forms of cases, the law enforcement process may end up being laborious though more transparent. The police departments need would then, through proper planning, strategic realignment of their activities, reasoning, collaborative resolution of conflicts and addressing of challenges faced, streamlined non bureaucratic communication, and constant leaning of new emerging trends in the police force across the global arena, ensure a more just law enforcement system.

Risk and the risk society
The emergence of a knowledge based society will definitely come with new challenges that would need to be addressed. There are a number of risks that are associated with the concept of the society being closely associated with police and law enforcement department.

The fact that police force have for a very long time accepted to view the society as a vital factor that would reduce their policing burden if incorporated remains a huge challenge. The likely broadening or narrowing of the roles of the police may lead to the police either being rendered irrelevant in their duties or having a lot of work to do that would in the long run compromise the security of the community. As an agent of social change, community and knowledge based policing would result into broadening of the police roles as the police may end up being dragged into more personalized family and community issues that would otherwise be resolved without their engagement.

On the other hand, narrowing of the police roles has the risk of the police being rebellious and working towards consolidating their powers. The implication that knowledge based policing would result into the community having a greater influence on security related matters also implies that the roles of the police would be narrowed down. Police are known to be more power oriented and ate used to working under powerful disciplinary apparatus. Working to articulate their roles on their ground has the risks of increasing insecurity and indiscipline levels among the police force. Consequently, insecurity levels would increase in the society. If the police roles narrowing or broadening fails to attain the intended goals, tension between the police and the society may increase with the fears that either party understands the details of operations of the other.

Globalization, Importance of Networks, Governance and Regulation
In dealing with crime, partnership across border and in all departments of the police force is of essence. Collaboration ensures that the police attain their intended goals with ease by ensuring that the views and skills of all individuals are considered before a substantial solution is arrived at.33

31Reuter above n 20.
32Mush Innes and Nelson Fielding, Reassurance of the Police Service Measurement of the Police Service Success, Policing and the Specific Society, (2006), 16(2), 117120.
33Cooper above n 22.

Partnership and networks encourages openness and sharing of ideas. Problems get to be resolved with much ease whenever networking among groups is employed. In the police force, for instance, networking between the police and the community and other security departments ensure that views on the manner in which to better the force and enhance high security standards is easily arrived at through networking. Networking help to break any existing barriers between the police and the community being policed and thus reinforce the importance of working as a unit for the common good of the entire community.

These also ensure that the community members own the security forces and hence no rebellion or rejection of stipulated policies is witnessed should collaborative efforts and intelligent strategies be used in security policy formulation. Globalization is a crucial factor in helping people to better manage their subjective and objective vagaries that relate to the community. Globalization facilitates sharing of ideas on the best ways in which security through intelligence and policing could be made better. New community and security technologies, through globalization, enables efficient exchange of ideas in the security field, sharing of diverse points of view, while at the same ensuring that the security standards remain at par with the worlds best security mechanisms.

Certain security issues always ought to be in tandem with the globally acceptable policies and set standards. The need for governance and proper regulation of community based policing is crucial. Knowledge based policing should be related to ensure that the intelligence of the police force is not compromised through leakage of vital operational security secretes to the public. Constant regulation and streamlined governance of security helps to improve the security process and control measures, thus reducing the audit and the insurance costs.