Within the Federal Police, the Intelligence Led Policing concept is one of the bases of our vision.

This concept is quite simple: intelligence is at the root of police actions, not the opposite. Such approach is based on data gathering and processing (facts, criminals, criminal groups, etc.) on the one hand and on the added value of police experience and skills on the other hand. The gathered intelligence leads the Federal Judicial Police, in a legal and legitimate way, at strategic (criminal policy), tactical (action plans) and operational (investigation) levels.

The police officer in the field, close to information sources, is a key element. His/her knowledge is used to understand criminal phenomena at best. Besides police officers, many other duties (analysts, specialised investigators, district information crossroads, labs, etc.) also play an essential part.

Daring anticipate the future and identifying trends : the permanent challenge of strategic analysts.

Strategic analysts use analytical methods and techniques (cartography, statistics, scenarios, etc.) which enable them to draw a precise picture of security issues at both local and national level. The goal of these analyses is to help the competent authorities to establish (strategic) security priorities. Through their thorough data analyses, strategic analysts contribute to a better understanding of criminal phenomena. Moreover, they consult and analyse several sources (within and without the police) from different points of view, in order to identify possible or new criminal trends.

The district information crossroads at the core of information exchange.

The intelligence led policing concept is no onesided process. It is characterised by information and knowledge exchange and sharing between all police officers, whatever their department or level (local or federal). To this end, every district has an information crossroads in which information from the different police services are processed, analysed and disseminated.

Thanks to their privileged position in the district and to their specifi c expertise, the information crossroads increase the value of police data through specific follow-up of criminal phenomena and groups and stimulate police information exchange (including with foreign police services). Information crossroads also have a signalling function, mainly towards all police units, to point out the emergence of a particular “epidemic” (e.g. burglaries in a specific neighbourhood), of new modus operandi or of a new security issue, in order to be able to take the necessary measures.

Read more information about the district information crossroads here.

Data gathering and analysis : an essential part of the investigation.

During proactive or reactive investigations, operational criminal analysts try to establish links between criminal facts, criminals, places where facts are committed or frequented by criminals, modus operandi, etc. Through the analysis of these data, they contribute to putting investigators on the right track.

Other police officers working at district level are specialists in criminal intelligence gathering: the members of criminal intelligence sections have regular contact with informers from or close to the underworld and can guide or help their colleagues to go deeper in their investigations into specific criminal activities. These tricky but necessary contacts require a clear legal framework, very strict working methods and complete control from the judicial authorities. The Federal Judicial Police mainly select their information sources according to priority phenomena.