James, AD and Safjański, T (2018) Europol's crime analysis system - practical determinants of its success. Policing. ISSN 1752-4512

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Abstract

Threats to modern nation states from organised crime and terrorism create environments in which intelligence becomes a vital component of policing and security plans but the increasing use of personal data for law enforcement purposes can alter the normative relationships between stakeholders and law enforcement agencies and between agencies and citizens. For that reason, police intelligence practice demands critical examination. This paper presents a narrative inquiry, based on the authors’ experiential knowledge and empirical research, into Europol’s Crime Analysis System (ECAS). The study explains Europol’s efforts to develop data collection and analysis systems that meet the needs of EU Member States. Through ECAS, it has created powerful tools intended to deliver intelligence products that help Member States identify, localise and neutralize transnational threats to a degree not witnessed before in Europe. Nevertheless, Europol’s performance in this context seems sub-optimal. Shortcomings largely are attributed to a lack of trust between Europol and Member States leading to failures to share information between themselves and with the institution. The result is that the latter’s strategic intelligence products sometimes are deficient or incomplete. That should be of concern to stakeholders because Europol’s strategic intelligence efforts may be rendered ineffective. Shortcomings in Europol’s intelligence products also are significant for citizens because they may mean that the information-sharing process is less transparent and less accountable than citizens have a right to expect.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Policing following peer review. The version of record Tomasz Safjański, Adrian James; Europol’s Crime Analysis System—Practical Determinants of Its Success, Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, , pay021, is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/police/pay021
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1602 Criminology
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology
Divisions:	Humanities & Social Science
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Date Deposited:	11 Apr 2018 11:31
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2021 10:34
DOI or ID number:	10.1093/police/pay021
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/8460

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