Intelligence and Public Private Partnerships - Intro to Intelligence

Public Private Partnerships and Intelligence

Conceptually, it could be argued that the idea for public-private partnerships in law enforcement goes

back to one of the most fundamental principles of policing articulated by Sir Robert Peel in 1829 in the

United Kingdom. Peel noted that the government alone could not perform all policing duties—

assistance was needed by members of the public and, by extension, the private business sector, to help

keep communities safe from crime. Indeed, Peel argued that in a democratic society, the police derived

its authority from the public; hence, the public had an obligation to assist the police on matters of public

safety. His principle, “The police are the public and the public are the police” infers a reciprocal

responsibility. In the 21st century, this can be inferred to include two-way information sharing and joint

public safety initiatives—responsibilities that both law enforcement and the private sector should

embrace. Reinforcing this notion was an observation reported in a study by the Vera Institute of Justice,

which concluded: The police depend on citizens to assist in almost every aspect of crime prevention and

investigation. Mobilizing that public support is essential to the core mission.Traditionally, the

relationship between law enforcement and the private sector concerning crime control and community

safety initiatives has been relatively challenging.

Source US DOJ “Law Enforcement and Intelligence”