The intelligence cycle is a set of procedures, rules, and protocols that are incorporated in intelligence-led policing as a guideline to help check for the accuracy of collected information. It also helps determine whether the intelligence is actionable or not. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 resulted in a major reformation in the manner in which intelligence is gathered, collected, analysed, and distributed. More fusion cells are building around the US, which makes it possible for more services to incorporate the police departments and also share information and communicate with other intelligence agencies. The government had not put into consideration the need for intelligence sharing until the 9/11 attacks, which resulted in the creation of the office of the director of National Intelligence as well as Homeland Security (Cope, 2004).
Intelligence-Led Policing (ILP) provides a new aspect of community policing by building on methodologies and tactics developed during the many years of community policing investigation. The intelligence cycle greatly contributes to Intelligence-Led Policing, and it helps determine if the process is properly executed. There are six steps included in the intelligence cycle: Requirements, planning and direction, collection, processing and exploration, analysis and production, and finally dissemination of intelligence to the relevant individuals for decision making. When a department in the police requires some information, they will plan and direct the best means through which they will collect the information from the community within the area of operation, or by incorporating certain intelligence disciplines. Such disciplines include GEOINT, where they could analyze CCTV videos to get any helpful information or OSINT, where they could question the public and use the records to sift through relevant information. Once the intelligence has been collected, it is analysed and then distributed to the relevant channels, which then decide whether the Intel is actionable or not.
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It might be possible to determine the validity of intelligence by analysing the sequence of the data collected to check for repeatability and consistency (Cope, 2004).
Reference
Cope, N. (2004). ‘Intelligence Led Policing or Policing Led Intelligence?’ Integrating Volume
Crime Analysis into Policing. British journal of criminology , 44 (2), 188-203.
