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Future Endeavors

NATIONAL CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE SHARING PLATFORM

The current Automated Criminal Intelligence Information System (ACIIS) platform has been online since 1976 and as such CISC has been assessing the current Information management / information technology needs of the criminal intelligence community and creating a vision for the future of gathering and sharing intelligence.

The availability of new technologies will invariably provide an increase in the efficiency and effectiveness of criminal intelligence analysts, investigators, and intelligence officers. Tasks related to collecting, verifying, collating and resolving data, which are currently performed manually, can now be largely automated enabling the criminal intelligence analysts and investigators to focus on analyzing the data.

Under the sponsorship of CISC and the RCMP, five workshops have been held with respect to the development of a new, national criminal intelligence system to facilitate the sharing of intelligence. From these workshops a new vision of ACIIS was conceived and agreed, along with a set of expected outcomes. Pending approval for funding, the new ACIIS will be an integrated “set” of applications (or tools) utilizing a single, shared national databank. It will operate on a desktop computer for use by all intelligence services across Canada. There are specific outcomes that are expected to be achieved through the implementation of the new ACIIS. Some of these are listed here, as follows:

• A new national criminal intelligence system running on a modern, robust platform capable of meeting current transaction loads and response time requirements, and scalable to meet projected demand for the future;
  
  
• A single system used by all members of the criminal intelligence community on a daily basis to assist them with their ongoing operational responsibilities;
  
  
• A system which is efficient and convenient to use so as to ensure that virtually all criminal intelligence information collected in Canada is stored in the system and available to be shared as appropriate, thus promoting real-time intelligence community collaboration and increasing the ability and ease of tracking entities of interest nationally;
  
  
• A system which is secure so as to ensure that any access is authorized and auditable, and that information is shared only in accordance with accepted policy, thus building trust and increasing usage of ACIIS by the criminal intelligence community;
  
  
• A system with powerful automated search and analysis capabilities which can process a much greater volume of information than would be possible manually - decreases human errors, increases ability to forecast;
  
  
• A system which provides the tools and easy access to information to produce timely, relevant, complete and actionable criminal intelligence, which in turn contributes to intelligence-led law enforcement;
  
  
• A system which provides the capability to actively solicit and involve more stakeholders in the development of Threat Assessments – capture more information from more stakeholders , including those outside of the police community, contributing to greater accuracy and immediacy of the threat assessment;
  
  
• A system with automated translation tools for searching and translation of raw data such as wiretaps, thus reducing language barriers; and
  
  
• A system with greater outreach into the law enforcement data banks (e.g., Records Management Systems and Major Case Management), which increases the scope of information reviewed to produce intelligence.

Storing and sharing intelligence allows law enforcement to anticipate activities of organized crime groups who operate beyond the limits of one jurisdiction and are increasingly enabled by new technologies. A rigorous system and criminal intelligence repository is vital to CISC’s mandate of reducing the threat and harms of organized crime and assisting the government in enhancing the safety of Canada.

Canadian Criminal Intelligence Model (CCIM)

Background

In March 2006, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of CISC unanimously supported the development of a “made-in-Canada” national intelligence model to further the principles of intelligence-led policing and strengthen integration within the Canadian law enforcement community. It is anticipated that the new national model will enhance the CISC mandate in the practice of criminal intelligence as it pertains to organized and serious crime.

The Canadian Criminal Intelligence Model (CCIM) will enable effective intelligence-led policing by establishing standards for intelligence-related structures, processes and practices. This will enhance operational decision-making at all levels of law enforcement in Canada.

As the CCIM project sponsors, NEC mandated CISC Central Bureau to lead the coordination and development of CCIM and nominated a member of NEC and the Director General of CISC to serve as project champions. By August 2007, a dedicated project team was created to complete the initial stages of the project: Phase I (project initiation), Phase II (project definition) and (Phase III) project planning.

Having completed Phase I in early 2008, the project team prepared a presentation and position paper for NEC’s April 2008 meeting. NEC unanimously endorsed the development of a detailed project plan, objective statement and business case to ensure the successful implementation of CCIM. In August 2008, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police unanimously passed a similar resolution.

The CCIM project proceeded to Phase II in May 2008 and included extensive stakeholder consultation. With extensive research and information from the surveys and telephone interviews, the team began to build the framework of CCIM. Once the data was analyzed and processed, it was synthesized into a formal report with recommendations that was forwarded to the project champions for review and approval in December 2008.

Looking Forward

The coming months will see CCIM continue to take shape as project activities move towards future implementation. Following the guidance provided by the project champions, a new Central Bureau CCIM project team will develop a project plan, objective statement and business case to be presented to CISC National Executive Committee (NEC) in 2009. Approval, through a NEC resolution, will facilitate the next steps of the CCIM project.

Once approval to proceed with the CCIM project is obtained, the Central Bureau CCIM project team will work with the law enforcement community to build the required standards, processes and protocols that will be the basis of CCIM.

As CCIM continues to take shape, its processes will establish minimum standards and requirements for the national criminal intelligence database; the gathering and handling of criminal intelligence/information; developing and handling human sources; intelligence products; professional development; best practices program; and an audit and evaluation program.

It is clear that CCIM is a major project that will require time to mature and that it entails the collaboration and commitment from the Canadian law enforcement community for it to be realized. It is also clear that the implementation of CCIM will provide significant value and return on investment through the application of consistent terminology, standards, processes and protocols. CCIM will also evolve over time in response to innovation throughout the law enforcement community that results in the identification, recognition and adoption of best practices.

The Central Bureau CCIM project team will provide regular progress reports to project champions. Following the implementation of CCIM, a project review will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and value of CCIM. Strategies for CCIM’s long-term sustainability will also be developed and presented to the project sponsors for approval.

For additional information about the CCIM project, contact the Central Bureau CCIM project team at CCIM-MCRC@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.