Intelligence management standards – have your say

Intelligence underpins almost every aspect of policing, making use of information from a variety of sources to support local and national crime investigations. Information can come from members of the public, victims, witnesses, suspects, community sources and specialist police intelligence operatives to build a picture of criminal activity.

How police handle and manage that information is a critical task. It requires specialist teams to follow a dynamic, multi-stage process - known as the intelligence cycle - to transform raw information into a piece of intelligence that can be acted upon and used to support effective decision-making and proactive policing.

What's changed

Authorised professional practice (APP) is our official source of professional practice, setting the operational and ethical standards for high-quality policing, and equipping officers and staff with the knowledge and skills they need to keep people safe.

Our intelligence management APP provides guidance for forces on how to effectively collect, analyse, and apply intelligence. It has been updated to incorporate changes in legislation, as well as learning from public inquiries and from what works in policing. 

We’ve streamlined the guidance to follow the intelligence cycle more closely. The changes aim to elevate performance by supporting forces to process different types of intelligence more efficiently, enabling them to cut crime and provide a better service to the public.

Who needs to know

The updated APP is closely aligned with the National Intelligence Model (NIM) code of practice. It provides guidance for:

• frontline officers, PCSOs, specials, call handlers or front counter staff who may collect intelligence in interactions they have with the public
• staff working in intelligence units, including analysts and researchers, as well as their supervisors and managers
• officers and staff leading investigations and planning operations, such as senior investigating officers or public order public safety commanders
• chief constables and senior leaders who have overall responsibility for intelligence management within their force, including processes, governance and structures of intelligence units.