A guide to the National intelligence Model (NIM)
Background
All organisations should be able to describe how they do their business for
example how do you collect information from customers and other sources to
prioritise and inform the allocation of resources? How do you measure successful
outcomes and learn from them?
The term intelligence is now regularly used outside the traditional preserve of the
intelligence professionals such as the police service.
Similar to the police service there is a need to professionalise the management
of intelligence within environmental regulating organisations.
A lack of professional management can result in inconsistencies nationally in the
way that offences were tackled, with the focus on small-scale offences at
permitted sites rather than on serious environmental crime.
The Environment Agency has initiated a National Enforcement Strategy and
supported the introduction of the National Intelligence Model (NIM) a model
which has been developed since 1999 by the Law Enforcement Agencies of
England & Wales.
Brief History of the National intelligence model (NIM)
In 1993 the Audit Commission identified “a vicious cycle of failure to address
crime” and subsequent enquiry revealed that there was in fact a huge variation
nationally of intelligence practices which inhibited the flow of information locally,
regionally and nationally.
In 1999 the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) created the NIM which
is based upon the “collective wisdom and best practice” nationally and
internationally.
So what is NIM?
The NIM has its roots in criminal intelligence but it is a business process model
with certain key elements. It facilitates the organisation of knowledge, informs
resource allocation, co-ordinates activity and allows lessons to be learnt from that
activity.
The Model was designed by NCIS to drive activity, not just in relation to crime
and criminals, but all policing issues from organised crime to road safety.
NIM requires that a number of capabilities are defined and built in order to
professionalise and improve intelligence work and to enable the compilation of
standardised intelligence products.
Intelligence products inform staff of significant threats, including those arising
from serious and less serious crime.
Risk management, the allocation of resources, engagement with partner
agencies and a review of tactics are all systems driven by NIM.
In the police service NIM operates at three levels:
• Level 1 Area Command – localised crime and problems
• Level 2 Force (or inter-force) level – cross border crime & criminals
• Level 3 National & International – serious & organised crime.
The Environment Agency could interpret the three levels to fit its own structure
locally, on an area regional and national basis adopting common intelligence
practice and products which can be aggregated and standardised across the
whole of the Agency.
Benefits of information sharing
NIM improves the opportunities to share intelligence across police forces,
governmental and non-governmental agencies.
The Model has been developed by the 43 Police Forces in England & Wales to a
national standard and has been adopted by other agencies such as the Serious
and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), United Kingdom Immigration Services
(UKIS) and by Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRP).
It reduces barriers to effectiveness by producing standardised processes and
language to create a co-operative working environment.
Intelligence lies at the heart of business planning where account is taken of local
and governmental objectives of required levels of performance and value for
money principles. The vital central ingredient in successful business planning is
information and understanding on five issues:-
• An accurate picture of the business
• What is actually happening on the ground
• The nature and extent of the problems
• The trends
• Where the main threats lie
An intelligence led business process is concerned with the proactive deployment
of resources to reduce environmental crime, incidents and associated problems
that are detrimental to the quality of life of communities.
The need to secure intelligence in line with the Agency priorities is fundamental
to the process. This will ensure that both strategically and tactically all
information that may impact on decision making is clearly outlined.
Further information can be found here
http://tulliallan.police.uk/workingparties/nim/documents/NIMManual(New05Intera
ctiveManual).pdf
Intelligence is information which has been graded. Where information is received
from individuals it should be evaluated according to the intelligence, source and
dissemination on a 5x5x5 form exampled over.
