Appendix H: Partnerships and the National Intelligence Model

The National Intelligence Model (NIM) is the intelligence-led business process that is statutory for all police forces in England and Wales to use.

Partnerships may find it sensible to adopt aspects of the NIM model as a framework for partnership working to facilitate a joint approach with their police partners. This appendix outlines how a partnership may adopt aspects of NIM to structure their business and meet the Hallmarks set out in this Guidance.

The use of NIM ensures that activity to reduce crime, disorder, anti-social behaviour and substance misuse is delivered in a targeted manner through the collection and analysis of information, which is used to guide activity. The model involves identifying, understanding and addressing underlying problems and trends through the use of analysis, and is then used to prioritise issues, based on risk, and allocate resources to deal with them.

The NIM process is introduced in the following diagram and further explained in sections 1.1 – 1.11.

1.1 Knowledge Assets

The four assests are the building blocks that are the foundation of the model. Within the partnership, it is important that all staff involved in agreeing priorities and carrying out activity to deal with them have the professional knowledge to work effectively and to understand the processes within which they work, including an understanding of the role and use of intelligence.

1.2 System Assets

Within the partnership, it is important that there are systems in place to ensure the lawful sharing of information and the secure storage and use of information once it has been shared, according to the new Information Sharing Regulations.

1.3 Source Assets

Within the partnership, it is important that the staff responsible for producing the strategic assessment and partnership plan are aware of the different types of information available to them, how they are collected, evaluated, and used.

1.4 People Assets

Within the partnership, it is important that all staff involved in agreeing priorities and carrying out activity to deal with them know their roles and responsibilities in relation to NIM. It is also important that staff are properly trained to carry out these roles and responsibilities.

More information on all the roles and responsibilities required to make NIM work can be found in ACPO(2007) Practice Advice on Resources and the People Assets of NIM.

1.5 Information Sources

The first stage of the NIM process is to ensure that appropriate information sources are available. The minimum standards contribute to performance in this area by creating a duty to share certain types of information (Lead and Guide: Governing Partnership Processes) and by describing the kinds of information that should be used within a strategic assessment (Assess: Getting the Information You Need). The minimum standards also describe the need for community consultation and the possible process to be used (Lead and Guide: Visibility and Accountability).

1.6 Intelligence/Information Recording

The NIM sets out standards for the recording on information so that is available for use to help make strategic and tactical decisions. This element of NIM is unlikely to apply to partnerships adopting its use. The majority of information used by the partnership will be recorded and collected by the member organisations. If the partnership do begin to record and collect their own information there should be appropriate management processes in place.

1.7 Research, Development and Analysis

This element of the NIM is core to the success of an intelligence-led business process. It is at this stage in the process where a wide variety of information is brought together and given meaning. Critical links and associations between bits of information are made and inferences are drawn. This work is carried out in an intelligence unit. Within a partnership, an intelligence unit could be made up of a combination of researchers, to develop information, and analysts. For analysts and/or researchers to carry out their jobs effectively they must have easy access to the information that the partnership has collected. They must also have access to open source, or public access information.

The Hallmarks contribute to performance in this area by outlining the analytical contribution to strategic assessments (Assess: Determine Priorities).

More information about the work of analysts can be found in ACPO (forthcoming) Practice Advice for Analysis. Although a document aimed for analysts working for the police, it has been designed to be equally applicable to analysts working within a partnership environment.

1.8 Intelligence Products

Within NIM there are four intelligence products. The following table shows the four intelligence products and how they could be used within a partnership environment.

Strategic assessment	Drives the business of the strategy group meeting. Aids and supports strategic business planning and resource allocation. Informs the strategy group of the issues likely to affect the partnership in the coming year and recommends which should be a priority. Assists the agreement of partnership priorities.
Tactical assessment	Drives the business of the partnership tasking and co-ordination group (where the partnership has set one up). Assists and supports tactical planning and resource allocation to resolve problem. Informs the tasking and co-ordination group of the current problems that link to the priority areas and makes proposals for continued prevention/reduction activity. Ensures tactical activity is aligned to the agreed partnership priorities.
Subject proﬁle	Establishes a greater understanding of either a person or group of people (whether suspects, victims or witnesses) in relation to an identiﬁed problem and a record of activity for tactical opportunities to resolve the problem. For example a proﬁle of a family causing anti-social behaviour and the activity taken to prevent and reduce their behaviour and its impact on the community.
Problem proﬁle	Establishes a greater understanding of an identiﬁed problem and a record of activity for tactical opportunities to resolve the problem. For example a proﬁle of a problem of youths drinking on a playground and the activity taken to reduce and prevent their behaviour and its impact on the community.

The Hallmarks contribute to performance in this area by making it a statutory obligation for each partnership to produce a strategic assessment (Assess: Determine Priorities).

1.9 Tasking and Co-ordination

It is the tasking and co-ordination process that provides partnership leaders with a decision-making mechanism by which they can manage the business of the partnership strategically and tactically.

Within a partnership, the strategy group will carry out strategic tasking and co-ordination. The strategy group are responsible for setting the priorities that the partnership will work to and making individuals responsible for delivery in each area. The strategy group are ultimately responsible for the performance of the partnership, especially in the areas identified as priorities.

Partnerships could also set up a tasking and co-ordination group to manage the tactical delivery of priorities. The tasking and co-ordination group could be informed by a tactical assessment. (See Deliver: Implementation for further details of this)

The minimum standards contribute to performance in this area by setting out the governance arrangements for the strategy group (Lead and Guide: The Right People Around the Table). This guidance also provides advice on how tasking and co-ordination groups can manage tactical delivery (Deliver: Implementation).

Further information about how to set up and run tasking and co-ordination meetings can be found in ACPO (2006) Practice Advice on Tasking and Co-ordination.

1.10 Tactical Resolution

This element refers to the actual activity that takes place to resolve problems. Within a partnership activity to resolve problems may be undertaken by a wide range of people. Partnerships can use problem solving creatively and to use a wide range of resources ensuring that prevention, further information collection, enforcement and community reassurance are key pillars to any planned activity.

Problems will range in scope and scale. A large problem may be broken down into smaller problems or projects. Regardless of the scale or scope of a problem or project each should be clearly owned by a named individual who should be held accountable for the progress of the problem or project through the tasking and co-ordination process.

Some problems will be supported by a problem profile and one or more subject profiles. Others will be supported with some simple problem solving analysis using SARA or PROCTOR. In all cases there must be clear records of the planned activity and use of resources and the outcome of all activity. Without clear records it is difficult to co-ordinate activity across the partnership or to measure the success of outcomes.

This guidance also provides advice on addressing problems (Deliver: Solving Problems).

1.11 Operational Review

Operational review is an essential element of any intelligence-led business processes. It ensures that lessons are learnt from activity that has taken place and that they are retained for future use to improve outcomes. A review should be a genuine assessment of the successes and failures of activity.

This guidance provides advice on how effectiveness can be evaluated in (Deliver: Evaluating Impact).

More information on operational review and results analysis can be found in all of ACPO NIM products.