ABOUT 

A broad simplified overview of the types of analyst and typical roles in policing is provided below. These are a guide only as to the division of types of roles and activities. In reality, analysts may be expected to complete a range of tasks that cross multiple types of analysis.

National Intelligence Model/NIM roles

Traditionally analytical roles operating within the NIM (Intelligence, Investigative, Tactical and crime analysts) focus on the external environment, risk, harm and threats, using prescriptive products and processes to support responses. Investigative and intelligence analysis often operates at the most granular level, specific people or incidents and cases, using less aggregated data and more qualitative information (i.e. written crime and intelligence reports).  Tactical analysis operates with more aggregation although tends to focus on police held information (i.e. crime pattern analysis, linked series of crimes). Strategic crime analysis is more quantitative, although there are exceptions such as crime scripting. 

Intelligence Analyst

Intelligence analysis often involves analysis of people active in crime, with a focus on repeat offenders and victims and criminal networks. This might include performing analysis of an individual's criminal histories, link analysis (i.e., social networks and activities), commodity flow (i.e., money, drugs, people), communication analysis and open source. Often completed by working with raw information and turning that into operationally viable intelligence. Frequently makes use of HUMINT (Human Intelligence), OSINT (Open Source Intelligence), SIGINT (Signals) and FINIT (Financial Intelligence). The National Crime Agency National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime is an open example of an intelligence analyst document. Those who undertake Intelligence analysis may also conduct investigative and tactical crime analysis.

Investigative Analyst

Profiling of offenders and geographic profiling are types of investigative analysis. This often falls within the role of intelligence or tactical crime analysts. Qualified geographic profiling analysis is a specialist skill. A 2-week course is offered by the JDI at University College London: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/short-courses/search-courses/geographic-profiling-analysis-crime-and-security. 

Tactical Crime Analyst

Tactical crime analysis is focused on short-term problems or the analysis of recent and emerging crime patterns. This often involves identifying linked series (i.e., serial offenders) and repeats (i.e., repetition of similar types of incidents), and the analysis of crime and temporal patterns (i.e., hot spots and hot times, methods, property targets). Under the UK National Intelligence Model, products that would have been completed include Tactical Assessments and Subject Profiles. Tactical analysis makes use of crime record data, incident record data and criminal intelligence. Those who undertake tactical crime analysis may also conduct investigative and intelligence analysis.

Strategic Crime Analyst

Strategic crime analysis is focused on long-term problems directed towards the production and evaluation of strategies, policies and crime prevention techniques. Strategic crime analysis often includes much more in-depth enquiry into problems (problem-solving analysis) using both quantitative and qualitative information. Under the UK National Intelligence Model, products that would have been completed include Strategic Assessments and Problem Profiles. Non-policing analysts (i.e., Community Safety Partnership analysts and more recently Public Health analysts in Violence Reduction Units) may also produce strategic crime analyses. Strategic intelligence analysis (qual) is sometimes presented alongside strategic crime analysis (quant), in the form of SWOT/PEST analytical methods. 

Performance management roles

Traditionally performance team roles (Administrative, Business Intelligence and Performance analysts) focus on internal environments and their systems/processes, with no set products or frameworks to operate within. Effort revolves more around government targets and performance culture or strategic planning. Performance roles operate at the highest level of granularity, using predominantly quantitative and survey data, such as police force or jurisdiction-wide statistics.

Administrative Analyst

Covers a broad area of work including resourcing (i.e., allocation of personnel, finance, equipment), governance (i.e., geographic organisation) and community (i.e., public-facing documents). Produces statistics for accountability, aggregated spatial and divisional statistics, data on shifts and workload (i.e., officer outputs, sickness and absence), community-focused analysis (i.e., surveys, neighbourhood or community groups data). These areas of work may be undertaken by those working in Business Intelligence or performance analysis capacities. 

Business Intelligence Analyst

BI specialists are relatively new in policing and are concerned with making data accessible (internally and to the public) using data visualisation software. These roles may be undertaken by those working in administrative or performance analysis capacities. The Metropolitan Police Crime data dashboard is an example of an open tool created using Business Intelligence software. All types of analysts may make use of Business Intelligence software to improve the efficiency of analytical tasks, with leading market tools having functionality that can support reproducible workflows for all types of analysis in policing.

Performance Analyst

A performance analyst often specialises in the analysis of statistics, including assessment and evaluation (i.e., effect of a crime reduction initiative), forecasting and time series analysis (i.e., future demand), and progress against a myriad of targets that are commonplace in policing. Areas typically monitored by performance analysts include levels of crime and victimisation, solved and clearance rates, fear and confidence measures of the public, road safety, efficient and effective use of financial resources, police processes and tactics (i.e., use of force, stop and search) and user satisfaction (i.e., call and response times).