Criminal Intelligence Career Development – Supporting the Case for Integration and Inclusion

The implementation of a developmental continuum for intelligence professionals, based on a traditional competency model may be ubiquitous across the breadth of intelligence. This paper argues that specialised contextual and cultural education and training and subsequent recognition of those skills, knowledge and attributes, is an essential element in achieving organisational and individual objectives for criminal intelligence professionals. The full integration of criminal intelligence operations into police and law enforcement decision making at the tactical, operational and strategic levels is an aspirational step in achieving a multidisciplinary operational environment. The delineation of intelligence practitioners based on employment status, facilitated by the absence of specialised law enforcement training, is an impediment to organisational and individual efficiency and effectiveness. The key issues are explored through a case study of a number of state and federal law enforcement organisations within Australia and internationally. A thematic analysis identified impediments to the full integration model. Those impediments including a lack of a sense of community, lack of a sense of inclusiveness and belonging, incomplete operational and strategic alignment, deficiencies and inadequacies of skills across the full operational context and the inability to fully contribute and influence due to the reinforcement of bias and stereotype. The issue of integration whilst maintaining specialist integrity is also explored.