STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE TRAINING

The Intelligence Study Centre (ISC) and its parent company (Istana Enterprises Pty. Ltd. of Australia) pioneered the formalised development of strategic intelligence training for law enforcement in 1990. We have been successful in marketing these courses extensively throughout the regulatory, compliance and enforcement communities of Europe, Australasia and North America ever since that time. In this period, ISC has gained its credible image by both teaching and publishing many articles and handbooks on strategic intelligence doctrine.

The various Strategic Intelligence Analysis programs provide specialised knowledge and skills in strategic intelligence theory and application. They are directed at practitioner/analysts as well as their line supervisors, to give them understanding and practice in implementing strategic intelligence and research projects to provide assessments of critical issues.

The courses are based on strategic research methodologies in other professions, adapted to the needs of law enforcement and justice planning. It is the only available training of this nature focused totally on strategic analysis for enforcement practitioners by providing a variety of courses that range from familiarisation in the concepts (for managers and clients) to detailed skills transfer (for practitioners).

Impact on International Enforcement

Strategic intelligence training from ISC has gained a high level of international acceptance and recognition. It is regularly provided to police and other enforcement agencies world-wide. In addition, it has been endorsed as the standard for this type of advanced and specialised intelligence training by the following agencies, among others: Europol, the UK National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), HM Customs and Excise, Hong Kong Police and Customs, the Royal New Zealand Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Objectives of the Training Program

These courses are designed to meet the needs of two types of participant:

1. the analyst/intelligence officer, who needs strategic intelligence skills to become (or improve as) a practitioner;
2. the intelligence unit supervisor or manager, who will need to become thoroughly familiar with the thinking and processes involved in strategic intelligence, in order to better task and manage the function.

The aim of the program is to train analysts to understand conceptual analysis and to become skilled in strategic research. The specific objectives of the course are to equip the intelligence analyst to undertake every aspect of strategic assessment process, from planning an entire project to carrying it through to completion to satisfy client requirements.

Curriculum and Training Program for Analysts

For complete certification as a strategic analyst, the course is best taken as a full-time training activity, run over ten days. Because of the intensity of the training, including the research and reading required of the participants, the course is usually scheduled as a residential training activity lasting two weeks. In certain circumstances and for specific client groups, however, it can be offered in a shortened version of five days. Naturally, this program concentrates on awareness and understanding of techniques as well as providing some measure of practical skills for the participants.

The other major alternative teaching method available for this training is to undertake it as a distance-based program.

The training schedule includes classroom lecture/discussions, in-class exercises, syndicate think-tank workshops, and major practical exercises. The training course covers a wide range of subjects including the following:

1. traditional intelligence practice and its applications and processes
2. differentiating strategic intelligence by examining its special needs for additional or modified process steps
3. the importance of project preparation and the techniques involved, including:
1. establishing an understanding of the problem topic
2. defining the topic in detail as the basis for research activity
3. developing a project plan - timelines, resources, mandate, access, etc.
4. identifying the clients/customers and negotiating the research parameters and plans
4. introduction to creative and lateral thinking concepts and their special relationship to idea generation and the development of hypotheses
5. developing and using strategic indicators
6. collection and collation issues applicable to strategic research (e.g. OSI, the use of computer databases) and their impact on data/source evaluation requirements
7. understanding the various analytical approaches and techniques and selecting the appropriate suite of analytical methodologies to suit complex strategic issues
8. developing, writing and presenting strategic assessment reports as well as oral briefings
9. selecting and adapting computer applications into strategic research - getting the best from available computer "tools"
10. managing the strategic intelligence function - both from the executive level, as well as from the intelligence analyst's perspective

Exercises

Strategic intelligence courses include a wide range of individual and group exercises. These are intended to test the students in knowledge and application of the particular techniques being taught, and to raise their individual confidence levels. The exercises may cover a variety of topics, including enforcement, government policy analysis, national security, international trading and commerce, foreign policy issues. Every course includes a blend of exercise topics to suit client requirements, so that students will be able to learn to rely on proper process and not merely on experience and current knowledge levels.

Quality Assurance

ISC's strategic intelligence and analysis training has been available to government agencies world-wide for several years and yet, like all intelligence practice, it is dynamic and requires constant review and fine tuning to meet changing needs.

Quality assurance of the doctrine and methodology is achieved by maintaining a continuing program of both research into doctrine improvements and by practical application of the design methodology to "real life" strategic issues, including national and international crime problems.

Assuring the quality of teaching is achieved through the selection of specially qualified staff. ISC's instructors are, themselves, working strategic analysts with many years' training and experience in a variety of intelligence and analysis environments: police, defence, national security, foreign policy, corporate and industrial analysis.

Accreditation

The course curriculum is the internationally-recognised benchmark standard for strategic training. Successful participants receive an ISC Certificate that is accepted by major law enforcement agencies as evidence of having achieved the training standards required of strategic analysts. A transcript of results for each of the topics covered in the course is also provided and this allows the students to apply for credits towards academic studies.

Want to Know More?

If strategic intelligence analysis interests you, or if you simply want to learn what ISC is doing up to the minute, please contact the Intelligence Study Centre nearest you. To see when these programs are next being offered and the location, go to the Training Calendar.