Intelligence products

This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.

First published

23 October 2013

Updated

16 March 2015

Latest changes

Written by College of Policing

Intelligence management

6 mins read

There are four products which are the deliverables of intelligence-led policing. They are the result of collaboration between analysts, intelligence officers and policing units. Each product has a defined purpose, and provides recommendations for making decisions and options for action.

Strategic assessment

This gives an overview of the current and long-term issues affecting or likely to affect a force or basic command unit. It should be used to draw inferences and make recommendations for prevention, intelligence, enforcement and reassurance priorities, and future policing strategy. The strategic assessment is an integral part of the business planning process and is created to:

drive the business of the strategic tasking and coordination group (ST&CG)
assist strategic business planning and enable resources to be allocated
assist the development of a control strategy
define an intelligence requirement

The strategic assessment is a living document that is current and relevant. Information collection and analysis in support of the assessment must be ongoing and include problem profiles, trends and developments. Opportunities for public consultation should also be considered.

A range of staff and partners should be involved in the production of the strategic assessment. Their knowledge and expertise will improve recommendations, and lead to better decision making.

Content of the strategic assessment

The strategic assessment should be based on the research and analysis of a wide range of internal and external information sources. The following should be considered:

government security classification (GSC) marking
detail on the information sources and method used in compiling the report
general picture of current policing issues, with consideration given to local and national priorities
key threats against the control strategy and emerging issues, which may include:
- performance against objectives
- analysis of crime or incident levels
- public perception of the issue
- emerging trends
- examination of political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal, organisational and media (PESTELOM) factors
- recommendations
prioritisation of identified issues

For further information see Analytical techniques.

Tactical assessment

The tactical assessment is used to identify the short-term issues for consideration by the tactical tasking and coordination group (TT&CG). It should be used to draw inferences and make recommendations for prevention, intelligence, enforcement and reassurance priorities, and future policing activity. A tactical assessment is created to:

define problems and identify subjects
recommend tactical options
review intelligence requirements
review recent performance and actions set at previous meetings
identify emerging patterns and trends

Information collection and analysis to support the assessment must be ongoing and include problem profiles, subject profiles, trends and developments. Production of the tactical assessment should involve a range of staff and partners whose knowledge and expertise will improve recommendations and lead to better decision making.

Content of the tactical assessment

The tactical assessment should not be restricted to police information on criminal activity and criminals. It needs to be based on the research and analysis of a wide range of information sources, including organised crime group mapping (OCGM) and external information. Consider including the following:

GSC marking
detail on the information sources and method used in compiling the report
overview of the crime and incident picture since the last tactical tasking and coordination group
predictions and emerging issues for the next reporting period
progress and performance against current priorities
key dates for planning
recommendations for prevention, intelligence, enforcement and reassurance activity

Subject profile

These are usually commissioned by the tactical tasking and coordination group to provide a detailed report of a suspect(s) or victim(s). Each profile has an assigned owner and is added to and updated until the subject is apprehended or protected. Subject profiles may also be commissioned by a senior investigating officer to assist investigations during a major or serious crime inquiry, or an intelligence manager to aid research.

A subject profile is created to:

assist in prioritisation
identify intelligence gaps
highlight prevention, intelligence, enforcement and reassurance opportunities
provide justification for actions

Justification for the selection of subjects and the tactics deployed must comply with the principles contained in the Human Rights Act 1998.

Subject profiles should be stored centrally to enable information to be retrieved if necessary.

Content of the subject profile

The subject profile should be based on the research and analysis of a wide range of information sources (closed/open), including OCGM and external information. It should have the appropriate GSC marking, and comprise the following categories.

Summary and authorisation – content may include:

date and version control
reasons or justification for targeting subject

Personal record – content may include:

family and relationships
lifestyle and habits
employment details
criminal record details
financial profile
links to OCGM data

Subject profile analysis – content may:

provide information, based on analysis, to develop prevention, intelligence, enforcement and reassurance recommendations
predict both criminal activity and/or impact or vulnerability of the victim
highlight potential new sources of information
assess the threat or risk to the subject

Prevention, intelligence collection, enforcement and reassurance plans.

Risk assessment which identifies the effect of a range of impact factors and suggests actions to counter or minimise them.

Problem profile

These are usually commissioned by the tasking and coordination group (T&CG) to provide a greater understanding of established and emerging crime or incident series, priority locations or other identified high-risk issues. The T&CG commissions the development of problem profiles and allocates specific owners to them. Problem profiles may also be commissioned by an intelligence manager to aid research.

A problem profile is created to:

provide detail on crime trends or hot spots that require greater analysis than can be provided in the tactical assessment
provide a vehicle for the application of one or more analytical techniques to a problem
assist in subject identification and selection (suspects or victims)
assist in prioritisation
identify intelligence gaps
highlight prevention, intelligence, enforcement and reassurance opportunities
provide justification for actions

The problem profile must be current and relevant. It should be added to and updated until the problem is dealt with, then stored for retrieval if necessary.

Content of the problem profile

The profile varies according to the nature and significance of the problem. It should be based on the research and analysis of a wide range of information sources, including OCGM and external information. It should have the appropriate GPMS marking, and comprise the following categories.