How to Become a Criminal Intelligence Analyst

clendar June 01, 2021

clendar 12 minutes

Aabey Morgan

4685 Users

Since you are here, we believe you are looking for the answer on how to become a Criminal Intelligence Analyst? Well, you are in the right place. But, before that, to have a clear perspective, let’s talk a bit on what is a Criminal Intelligence Analyst.

What is a Criminal Intelligence Analyst?

The essential component of effective policing is Criminal Intelligence Analysis. Both at strategic and operational levels. An analyst’s primary job is to study illegal facts. They learn illegal facts to identify connections between different crimes.

Criminal intelligence analysts use analyses to support law enforcement activities for further judgment.

The central tasks of criminal intelligence analysts are to:

Help officials, senior law enforcers, policymakers, and decision-makers. To deal more with uncertainty and new challenges.
Provide timely warning of threats.
To support operational activities and complex investigations.

A criminal intelligence analyst’s work may also include:

Checking both computer and paper-based crime reports.
Mapping geographical crime ‘hot spots,’ using specialist software.
Work out patterns of crime, such as times committed and locations.
Analyse criminal networks using special computer software.
Suspect profiling.
Using databases to input crime data and extract them. The information may be paper-based or virtual.

They often provide reports and briefings to other intelligence. Such as security personnel or government ministers.

Analysts may work on investigations with local police forces. Or significant inquiries of national and international importance.

What are Criminal Intelligence Analyst Jobs?

So, Criminal Intelligence Analysts analyse crime patterns by gathering, examining, and assessing data. Their job is to study crime patterns and data from different sources of information. They do it to come up with a clear picture of suspects and their actions. This method helps to prevent future crimes.

They often coordinate their efforts with colleagues from other departments as well. Such as surveillance, community policing, or other law enforcement agencies. Often their work is reactive and requires making quick decisions.

Intelligence analysts are usually office-based. They spend time studying different information sources and connecting through emails and telephones.

Crime intelligence analysts often have to take a long-term approach to their work. First, they take their time to examine all the different data sources. Then they develop an accurate picture of the situation.

Crime analysts play a significant role in helping investigators and detectives solve crimes. By looking at data, police reports, and trends, they gather important clues. Clues such as methods and motives can identify a suspect.

Some Other Duties of Crime Analysts

Here are some other duties that you’ll have to follow as a criminal intelligence analyst.

Contacting other professionals in the area and around the country. And using resources like crime mapping technology and computer-aided dispatch, and police reports.
Look for trends and provide answers to puzzling police issues in real-time.
Locate times and areas of a particular criminal activity. Identification of these areas is called hot spots. Hot spots help law enforcement plan their workforce needs. It pinpoints when and where police officers should patrol to maximize their effectiveness.
Gathering and analysing crime statistics and producing reports.
Develop intelligence, advising police commanders, and identifying criminal trends, including emerging problems. Researches long-term issues and presents response strategies.

Criminal intelligence analysts are non-sworn members of the law enforcement department. However, in some cases, sworn law enforcement officers might have to do an analyst’s duties.

Analysts generally assess data rather than respond to crime scenes or investigate. Analysts can also serve in positions assigned to intelligence gathering. They provide crucial information to law enforcement organizations. Potential criminal movements and officer safety information are important.

Analysts help agencies divide their workforce and find ways to diminish crime.

An analyst’s role is proving valuable to the law enforcement profession. This means there will be plenty of opportunities to find a career as a crime analyst in the future.

What is Criminal Intelligence Analyst Salary in the UK?

Criminal intelligence analysts work 37-hour per week. Sometimes they need to work a couple of extra hours at times of demand. However, part-time work, job sharing, and manageable working hours are also possible.

They also need to attend meetings with colleagues from other departments. Some jobs might need to travel throughout the country or across. Salaries range starts from around £16,000 to £20,000 a year. A graduate and trained criminal intelligence analyst can earn between £22,000 and £35,000.

Starting salaries for these three agencies are in the region of £25,000 to £35,000 plus benefits.

1. Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ)

2. Security Service (MI5)

3. Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)

There are chances to upgrade to higher grades as well. Salary tends to reach around £40,000 after five to ten years of service.
All stages experience incremental annual increases in pay, plus bonus payment opportunities.

NB: The income figures mentioned above are intended as a guide only.

7 Steps of How to Become a Criminal Intelligence Analyst

The candidate should be a British citizen and have a bachelor’s degree in the relative matter. Some crime analysis jobs may look for prior experience. Remember to check the job posting to know specific information about the requirements.

Prospective crime analysts might demand something similar in the following manner:

1. Accomplishing a degree program and/or gain experience in a related field is a must.

2. Becoming certified as a Criminal Intelligence Analyst is also a must.

3. Apply for a crime analyst job.

4. Pass a background inquiry.

5. Be examined and interviewed.

6. Get selected as a crime analyst.

7Receive professional training on the job as a crime analyst.

What are the Criminal Intelligence Analyst Requirements?

A crime analyst’s work is fascinating without any doubt. Connecting research and interpretation with program planning and policy is exciting. It is an essential tool to help law enforcement respond, solve and even prevent crime.

A career as a crime analyst is an outstanding way to help communities and policing function. The UK intelligence agencies recruit analysts from diverse educational and ethnic backgrounds. It is to tackle the assorted range of threats from within and outside.

This area of work is welcoming for graduates of any degree discipline. But, degree classification demands can vary from agencies to agencies. All three agencies recruit linguistic and technology specialists separately. Therefore, you will have an advantage if you have IT, technology, or language skills.

The candidate must be a British citizen, or at least one parent must be a British citizen. And they should be able to confirm considerable ties with the candidates. Further nationality rules apply.

They want candidates who have a college degree and related work experience. Analysts must have some strong interaction and analytical skills as well. They need to locate and interpret data and repackage and represent it easily.

They must have the drive to research. Also, desire to help and assist law enforcement in preventing and solving crimes. And this all for the sake of the general people.

Education:

The seeker of a crime analyst job must have a least of a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Criminology or other related fields like psychology or sociology are acceptable too. In most cases, a focus on classes such as probability and statistics can prove helpful.

One Education offers an online course on Criminal Intelligence Analysts on how to become a criminal intelligence analyst. This course will provide an understanding and critical awareness of security and criminology. In addition, learners achieve an endorsed certificate as proof of their new achievement. They will get it once the course is complete.

This course will enhance expertise for both existing practitioners or aspiring professionals. It will also boost their CV with crucial skills and attest to their knowledge.

Quality Licence Scheme has endorsed this course. It got approved for its high-quality, non-regulated provision and training programmes. In this course, they examine the basis of criminology and the processes. Through which the criminal justice system deviance and responds to crime.

Work experience:

Some agencies allow candidates to replace their college education necessity with work practice. Although, finding a way to have experience can be difficult. Even harder without achieving a degree first. Internships or volunteering can help applicants make connections to the field. Thus, get on a stable career path.

Police academy training:

Criminal analysts might attend sworn law enforcement positions or in supervisory ranks. In that case, it might need training from the police academy and several years in service. Why? Because this would be a speciality position.

Having some personal skills and personality traits is a plus point. Such as:

Effective communication skills to communicate with City staff. Also with the public, and others contacted at work.
Trustworthiness is necessary to maintain the confidentiality of sensitive data.
Time-management skills to focus on work. Also, the skill of working under pressure within time limitations.
Establish effective working relationships with contacted people in the course of employment.
Ability to learn and apply uniform crime reporting processes and requirements. Compliance to learn and work through IT applications. Including some specialized data collection, interpretation, and presentation devices.
The ability to generate valuable reports is vital too. They need to create reports by preparing accurate, efficient, and timely information. They have to do it with correspondence and other written materials.
To have the capacity to apply the rules of the Police Department. Also, practising them.
A good capacity for analysis is essential. They need to have an enquiring mind and excellent problem-solving skills.
To have good report-drafting skills with consistent attention to the details. It’s important since the final reports will be for the government chief levels.
Motivation, drive, focus, initiative, and innovation should present in the personality.
To be responding to changing requirements and priorities. Also, be able to adapt to variable conditions.
Cultural sensitivity, insight, and strength of character to build good relationships with others. Being effective, particularly in human intelligence work.
The ability to work under pressure is one of the critical skills. Showing flexibility and determination is essential.

Candidates may also specialize in some areas like:

Road policing
Burglary
Car theft
Antisocial behaviour
Serious organized crime
Drug trafficking
Financial crime, such as money laundering
Military intelligence
Anti-terrorism

Verdict

No doubt that crime analysis is now one of the most significant roles within every police agency. Crime analysts work in an exciting field for sure.

Analysts are present at every level of law enforcement. They support and sustain investigators. They also help to patrol officers and help them do their jobs while staying alive.

A profession as a crime analyst is an exceptional way to help and support the policing purpose. It is a vital tool for helping law enforcement respond to, solve and prevent crime. An entry-level criminal analyst’s role is to assist senior analysts. The initial job is to help them identify the pattern of criminal behaviour.

Their duties will be to gather and investigate data. Besides, track the police and law enforcement databases. Their duties include reporting the verdicts to other analysts. Their responsibilities may also include developing new forensic technology. Or predictive policing algorithms based on crime data.

Entry-level analysts usually take on administrative and managerial duties. For example, tasks like cleaning and entering data and filing reports.

At this point, you have your answer on how to become a criminal intelligence analyst. Now it’s time to decide whether not this career is for you. Do you have talents for researching, evaluating data, and decoding patterns? If yes, then a career as a Criminal Intelligence Analyst might be the perfect career for you.

Learn more about Decoding Data in our latest blog, Decoding Data: A Practical Guide to Thematic Analysis for Educators. Read it now!