International crime analysts meet for training at Europol

The International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA) organised its first European Training Symposium on 17-18 April 2012. The two-day symposium was hosted at Europol and welcomed 120 individuals from Europe and the USA. IACA members and Europol analysts planned the conference together and provided an agenda of dynamic speakers and interesting topics to support the analyst communities in Europe.

The agenda featured more than a dozen general and breakout sessions for analysts, officers, executives, students and academic researchers interested in crime analysis. The training sessions covered broad concepts, specific analytical techniques and some of the best practices from agencies on both sides of the Atlantic such as intelligence-led policing, predictive policing and strategic threat assessment. Certain crime problems that have become international – including cybercrime, terrorism and child predators – were also explored.

Keynote speakers at the event were Superintendent Mr. Nick Bailey (Cheshire Police), who spoke about the application of systems thinking in transforming policing, and Professor of Criminology, Federico Varese (University of Oxford), who introduced the participants to criteria and techniques for the quantitative analysis of phone intercepts.

The symposium provided a first class opportunity to discuss and share best practices and information about conceptual models, tools and technologies. Participants were also encouraged to critically reflect on professional challenges, the gaps of crime and intelligence analysis programs, and the type of assistance required in addressing these issues. Furthermore, they were able to extend their professional networks by identifying analysts who have the experience and expertise to offer effective solutions to the crime problems they deal with.

The IACA President, Mr. Christopher W. Bruce, said: “We are proud to bring quality training and information to Europe and promote crime analysis on an international level. Crime and intelligence analysis have a place in law enforcement agencies of all sizes, from national and international organisations to forces covering towns and villages. Symposiums like this one help us share the things that we do best. We are grateful to our partner, Europol, for providing quality training facilities and for all of their work on the training program.”