4 th International Evidence Based Policing Confere nce

1. 4th International Evidence Based Policing Conference “A captive audience.” Recruiting informants within police custody blocks. Richard Cooper

2. Objectives • Why do people offer information? • The cells as a recruiting ground • The longevity of recruitments • Are some motivations more sticky than others?

3. Limitations of previous research • Dearth of experimental research in this area. • Most commonly third party interviews • Rarely direct access to informants • Criminals giving their opinions • Examination of records • Difficult to establish motivation • Cost, risk, management etc. • Much easier to be retrospective

4. Methodology • 14 week period • Custody block for medium-sized city • Administer questionnaire at point of accepting referral to Source Handling Unit • Motives • Supporting information • Examination of police records • Observation of process taking place • 2 dedicated officers • Follow-up of cohort at two points • Initial contact and 4 weeks afterwards

5. Methodology - Motives • Money • Reduced Sentence • Excitement • Guilt • Revenge • See how police use informants • Remove criminal competition • Sense of responsibility to others • Dislike of a particular crime • Other

6. Methodology – Subsidiary Information • Certainty • Length of time • Treatment in cells • Adherence to law • Police data • Demographic • Criminal

7. Findings – Provision of Intelligence • Surprising willingness to provide intelligence and accept onward referral • Not explicable by naivety or inexperience • Significant relationship with acquisitive crime custody event • Desperation / drugs • Women potentially more likely to cooperate • Situational factors important

8. Findings - Motivation • Multiple motivations • Money and the chance of a reduced sentence are the most common • Money closely linked to those in custody for acquisitive crimes • Revenge, excitement, responsibility to others, and dislike of crime also evident

9. Findings – Continuing to inform • Substantial drop-out rate for prospective informants • Varied reasons for failing to continue • Acquisitive crime no longer significant • Those primarily motivated by money less likely to respond to initial follow-up • Not affected by financial predicament

10. Findings – Continuing to inform • Those with a motivation not born of self-interest may be more likely to persist • Co-existence between dislike of a certain crime and sense of responsibility • More certain of the decision • Prepared to do so for longer • More embedded than transitory • Dislike of drugs features prominently • Links to our informant population?

11. Conclusions • Debriefing in the cells should be seen as an end in itself • High drop-out rate • Acquisitive crime • Women • Understanding of the range of motivations is largely accurate • Self-interest does not appear to be sufficient • Those not motivated by self-interest may be the most ‘sticky’