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Project

Comparative study of Investigation Management Systems in the police: What works and why?

This project aims at explaining how Investigation Management Systems (IMS) can be successfully implemented in the police. IMS try to improve efficiency and effectiveness of police investigations by mapping lead times, identifying weak links and improving work processes. They enable police managers to monitor how detectives perform their job. When part of a performance management system that encourages quantifiable results (e.g. number of reports) there is a risk that detectives target easy investigations (e.g. traffic violations) in which quantifiable results are more quickly achieved than in complex investigations (e.g. organized crime) even though the latter seem more significant for society. Such risks increase if IMS are imposed top-down without involving detectives. Instead of looking at what could go wrong in implementing these systems (a common approach in social science), this study looks for preconditions of successful implementation. The methodology of realist evaluation is used that studies how policy programs work or, in other words, how they lead to aspired effects and how they could be translated to other contexts. On the basis of theories of bureaucratic control, performance management and staff participation, this study aims to identify theory-based factors and processes that improve police investigations by comparing IMS in police agencies across the world.
Date:18 Dec 2012 →  30 Sep 2014
Keywords:Realistic evaluation, Policy implementation, Police, Performance management, Investigation management systems
Disciplines:Criminology