Intelligence career pathway

Intelligence involves using 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
• specialist police intelligence operatives

The internet has changed the way we live and how the public uses technology like smartphones and social media. Criminals are exploiting these same technologies. 

Information comes in many formats and making sense of these is a critical task for those in intelligence policing. These can include:

• web histories
• CCTV footage
• emails
• images
• transactions
• records of phone calls
• text messages

Gathering and analysing detailed information from different technologies about victims, offenders and locations quickly helps inform decision-making by force intelligence bureaus (FIBs) or intelligence units (IUs).

These decisions include where to target limited resources and where to apply specialists’ technical expertise most effectively on a day-to-day basis.

The role

Entry into intelligence roles can be at any level, including civil service departments, law enforcement agencies, and academia.

While the majority of roles will be office-based, you can develop within different intelligence areas, possibly working in an agile way with investigation teams at various locations or out in the field.

Based in an FIB or IU, you will:

• use your initiative
• question and analyse verbal and numerical data
• look for potential patterns and connections across different sources of information
• solve problems based on facts and logic to guide decision-making
• keep up to date with legislation, regulations, guidelines and specialist codes of practice

Essential skills and attributes include:

• possessing strong attention to detail and accuracy
• asking the right questions
• wanting things to be done and communicated properly

If you are looking for opportunities where analysis and thinking are at the heart of day-to-day tasks, working in your own force alongside other forces’ IUs and/or regional crime units, then intelligence policing may be the professional field for you.

Role profiles

Find out more about the roles available within intelligence including the role purpose, main responsibilities and the skills required. You will need to log in to College Learn to access the profiles.

• Intelligence researcher
• Intelligence analyst
• Intelligence officer
• Intelligence support officer
• Senior intelligence analyst
• Intelligence supervisor
• Intelligence manager
• Director of intelligence
• Head of intelligence analysis