Police Operation "Nightstinger" to combat triad and organised crime

Hong Kong Police arrested 222 people in an anti-crime operation codenamed "Nightstinger" conducted from December 28, 2011 to January 8, 2012 which resulted in seizure of dangerous drugs, obscene optical discs, duty-not-paid cigarettes and cash with a total worth of about $700,000.

Speaking at a pressconference today (January 9), Acting Chief Superintendent of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB), Mr Michael Cheuk Hau-yip, said this intelligence-led operation aimed at smashing a syndicate active in Kowloon and the New Territories, curbing its expansion and tackling triad-related crimes.

OCTB deployed undercover officers in the last two years with a view to infiltrating into the syndicate, collecting crime-related evidence, and obtaining information of its core members. Officers have arrested 78 men aged from 15 to 68 for trafficking in dangerous drugs, blackmail, unlawful gambling, serious wounding, managing a triad society, acting as a member of a triad society and affray. Among the arrestees, 22 of them have been charged with corresponding offences and have already appeared at Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts for trial on December 31, 2011.

The remaining ones were bailed pending further enquiries and are required to report back to Police from late January to early February, 2012.

Meanwhile, officers of OCTB, Criminal Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Bureau, Commercial Crime Bureau and all Regional Anti-triad Units conducted a territory-wide arrest operation from December 28, 2011 to January 8, 2012. A total of 78 men and 66 women aged from 27 to 62 were arrested in connection with triad, drug-trafficking, unlawful gambling and other violence offences. Among the arrested, 68 of them have been charged with triad-related offences while the remaining ones were bailed pending further investigation and should report back in mid-February, 2012.

Seizures include unlawful gambling money worth about $160,000, dangerous drugs with a market value of about $200,000, about 10,000 obscene optical discs, some 1,640 illicit cigarettes and offensive weapons.

The Police reiterated that they have full confidence and ability in combating against triads, organized crimes and crime syndicates. A proactive intelligence-led strategy will continually be adopted to tackle triad members and activities.

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State police investigative structure and the adoption of intelligence-led policing

I received this press draft of a paper written by Jerry Ratlcliffe and Ray Guidetti. It has been accepted by Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management. Be on the lookout for the final article but please be aware that the final version may be different due to changes made by the editor or publisher.

Abstract: Prior research conducted in the UK suggests police forces that embraced organizational change were better able to adjust to an intelligence-led policing model of operation. However, significant organizational adaptation to a relatively untried business model raises risks for managers and takes leaders into unfamiliar territory regarding a number of factors. These factors include the increasing influence of analysts, the resistance of detectives required to work in a more collaborative environment, and the selection of new priorities reflecting strategic assessments.

Using a combination of in-depth semi-structured interviews, less formal discussions, and document analysis this paper describes some noteworthy changes undertaken by the New Jersey State Police Investigations Branch to move from an institutional architecture that created significant information silos to one more suited to information sharing and intelligence-led policing. Using extensive quotes from detectives, managers and analysts, the paper uses a large drug-gang investigation as a case study to identify broader organizational issues associated with these structural changes.

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Three Charged With Million Pound Drug Seizure

The three men arrested, aged 53, 50 and 18 have now been charged with conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and possessing drugs with the intent to supply. They have also been charged with possessing a firearm and possessing ammunition after a weapon was recovered from an address in the Holmewood area of Bradford. All three are due to appear before Wakefield Magistrates. The Regional Roads Crime Team supported by Wakefield District Police seized a significant amount of Class B drugs estimated to be worth more than a million pounds during a patrol at a lorry (truck) park. Three men were arrested at Ferrybridge, West Yorkshire, on suspicion of possession of a Class B drug with intent to supply and are currently being questioned at Wakefield Police Station. Enquiries are ongoing.

Head of the Regional Roads Crime Team, Detective Chief Inspector Richard James, said: “This is an excellent example of us working together with local police to disrupt suspected criminals who cross borders to commit crime.” The Regional Roads Policing Team is the first operational team created by joint collaboration with officers and staff seconded from each of the four police forces of Yorkshire and the Humber. The team was set up in July 2008 with a clear strategic vision to create a hostile environment for criminals that use the road network and cause significant disruption to their illegal business enterprises, from burglary, to drugs, to high value vehicle theft, to people trafficking. It is committed to supplying additional capability to the four police forces of the region wherever needed across the whole of Yorkshire and the Humber.

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North African states meet on al-Qaeda terror threat

Cooperation, coordination and the sharing of information and resources are all at the heart of intelligence-led policing and counter-insurgency operations, whether at interagency or international levels. Threats shared and fought together make the battle much easier. It is therefore heartening to see seven North African countries holding talks today in Algeria to plan a coordinated response to al-Qaeda following a dangerous rise in the terror threat in the Sahara-Sahel region (shown above in yellow and orange, map courtesy of Wikipedia). The conference "indicates our shared will to take adequate and suitable steps in a coordinated manner" in response to the terror threat, "which has seen dangerous developments", said Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci.

An al-Qaeda offshoot in North Africa, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim), along with other criminal groups, has exploited the vast spaces of the Sahara and Sahel to hide from authorities after launching attacks or kidnapping foreigners. "Obviously, putting into place effective and multifaceted border cooperation between our countries is crucial," Medelci said before he and his counterparts or their deputies from Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Mauritania and Niger began talks behind closed doors. Medelci also condemned growing links between terror and criminal groups in the region that has seen a rise in weapons and drug smuggling.

• "Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)", Anti-Defamation League, 2010.
• "Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb", Council on Foreign Relations, 7/21/09.
• "Islamist Terrorism in the Sahel: Fact or Fiction?", International Crisis Group, 3/31/05.
• "Maghreb" overview, LookLex Encyclopedia, 2010.
  
• "Sahara" overview, PBS, 2010.
  
• "Sahel" overview, PBS, 2010.

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San Diego crime at 45-year low despite economy and cuts, city practices Intelligence-led Policing

One might expect crime to increase during a recession, but San Diego currently boasts the lowest city-wide crime rate since 1963. According to a report released by the San Diego Police Department, overall crime is down 17.7 percent from 2008, representing the largest one-year drop in more than 60 years. Last saw 41 homicide cases, the lowest number since 1972, when San Diego had only half the number of residents. San Diego saw decreases in every category except aggravated assaults, which was up two percent.

David Ramirez, the executive assistant to the chief of police, said the increase was due to an upswing in domestic violence cases, probably stemming from stresses the economy is placing on families, such as job losses and foreclosures. “The question I consistently get asked in a very difficult environment where the economy’s changing is ‘why are you seeing crime go down not only in the city of San Diego, but you’re seeing it go down across the country?” said Lansdowne. “I think it’s because of several reasons. One is that we police differently than ever before. We use a concept of intelligence-led policing.”

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Malaysia to adopt Intelligence-led Policing

The Home Ministry is getting more money to buy motorcycles and deploy mobile police stations in 50 hotspots in four states as part of a national offensive against street crimes. Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said an allocation has also been approved to buy motorcycles for policemen to maintain control in those areas.

Hishammuddin Hussein

"Police omnipresence is important. We hope their presence in these hotspots can be felt by the people and they know we are serious in tackling street crimes," he said today after chairing his ministry's weekly post-cabinet meeting. He said the cabinet has also agreed that the ministry works closely with a local company to set up mobile police stations in the hotspots in Penang, Selangor, Federal Territory and Johor.

"It is more practical to have mobile units because we do not expect the hotspots to be permanent. One day, we hope, the black areas will be turned into white areas," he said. Reducing the number of street crimes is one of the Key Result Areas (KRA) for the ministry.

Hishammuddin said he has also instructed that the intelligence-led policing approach be adopted, whereby all available resources including special branch officers and plainclothes personnel will be utilised.

In addition, the ministry has set up a special unit to discuss with the local authorities ways to modify existing CCTV cameras so that they can also be used to detect criminals, apart from monitoring traffic.

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British Report on Policing Protests

A report published today by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) in the United Kingdom, highlights the need for police to plan and deliver police operations that safeguard the rights of individuals during protests. This information would be of considerable use for analysts and planners who deal with this area of policing. To access this report, please click here.

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Intelligence-led Policing Defined

The International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA) worked with the US Bureau of Justice Assistance, local and state police officials and noted academics in the field to develop this definition of ILP:

"Executive implementation of the INTELLIGENCE CYCLE to support proactive decision making for resource allocation and crime prevention"

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The Foundation: Intelligence-led Policing (ILP)

One result of the changes in our society is that today’s criminals are displaying increased sophistication and operational agility in their efforts to subvert law and order. This in turn has created a need for law enforcement agencies – at all levels – to concentrate their collective efforts in a more structured manner and to modernize the various business processes they use to determine resource allocations. Experience suggests that the optimum way to achieve these goals is through a new series of processes and procedures called Intelligence-Led Policing. Intelligence-led policing is an extremely useful way of thinking about law enforcement and delivery of police services. ILP is all about providing decision-makers at any level of a law enforcement organization with the intelligence and analysis upon which to base good decisions.

Intelligence-led policing is both a business model and managerial philosophy. Crime analysis and criminal intelligence are the foundations to an objective, decision-making framework that facilitates crime and problem reduction, disruption and prevention through both strategic management and effective enforcement strategies that target prolific and serious offenders.

Intelligence-led policing was originally thought of as a law enforcement strategy seeking to reduce crime through the combined use of crime analysis and criminal intelligence. The purpose was to determine appropriate crime reduction tactics that concentrate on the prevention and enforcement of criminal offender activity, with a focus on active recidivists.

This approach emphasized information gathering through the extensive use of confidential informants, offender interviews, analysis of recorded crime and calls for service, surveillance of suspects, and community sources of information. These sources were analyzed so that law enforcement managers could determine objective policing tactics in regard to enforcement targets, prevention activities and further intelligence gathering operations.

In the last few years, the interpretation of 'intelligence-led policing' appears to be broadening in scope. While still retaining the central notion that police should avoid getting bogged down in reactive, individual, case investigations, intelligence-led policing is evolving into a management philosophy that places greater emphasis on information-sharing and collaborative, strategic solutions to crime problems at the local and regional level.

Originating in the United Kingdom, intelligence-led policing began with the idea that police were spending too much time responding to crime and too little time targeting offenders. Audit reports encouraged increased use of intelligence, surveillance and informants to target recidivist offenders so that police could be more effective in fighting crime. Since then, ILP and its practice has extended to Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and since September 11th, 2001, the United States.

However, ILP will never reach its true potential unless all police, law enforcement and public safety leaders catch the vision of this important paradigm. Intelligence-led policing is a model that has gained significant acceptance in the United States since 9/11. There is a good reason for this: no other single approach can offer the same protection in the current worldwide environment of crime, terrorism and the explosion of information. More importantly, in its wider application ILP works well with other models and enhances them by providing a foundation of analysis. Whatever policing approach that is adopted locally, ILP can make it work better. It does so by providing the intelligence and information on which to more accurately base decisions about any given problem or situation.

Links for further information on Intelligence-led Policing:

• IALEIA. Intelligence-led Policing: Getting Started.
  
• Colonel Joseph R. Fuentes. Practical Guide to Intelligence-led Policing. New Jersey State Police.
• Marilyn Peterson. Intelligence-led Policing: The New Intelligence Architecture. Bureau of Justice Assistance.
• Angus Smith (ed). Intelligence-led Policing: International Perspectives on Policing in the 21st Century. IALEIA.
• Nick Tilley & Jill Dando. Problem-Oriented Policing, Intelligence-Led Policing and the National Intelligence Model. University College London.
• Association of Chief Police Officers. Practice Advice: Introduction to Intelligence-Led Policing. National Centre for Policing Excellence.
• Jerry H. Ratcliffe. Intelligence-led Policing. Australian Institute of Criminology.
  

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