Evaluation and Comparison of Claims Made in Behavioural Investigative Advice Reports Compiled by the National Policing Improvements Agency in the United Kingdom

• NCJ Number: 227793
• Journal: Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2007 Pages: 71-83
• Author(s): Louise Almond; Laurence Alison; Louise Porter
• Date Published: June 2007
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This study examined the content of a contemporary sample of behavioral investigative-advice reports produced by the United Kingdom's National Policing Improvements Agency (NPIA), and this sample is compared with previous offender-profiling samples reported by Alison, Smith, Eastman, and Rainbow in 2003.

Abstract

The study concludes that contemporary NPIA behavioral investigative advice has clearer boundaries for the claims made and presents material in a more coherent, evidence-based format compared with previous expert behavioral advice on offenders in particular cases. The 47 reports written in 2005 contained 805 claims, although 96 percent of the claims contained grounds for the claim, only 34 percent had any formal support or backing. Seventy percent of the claims were verified; however only 43 percent could be objectively measured post conviction. Traditionally offender profiling has involved the prediction of the likely sociodemographic characteristics of an offender based on information available at the crime scene. In the last 10 years, however, a broader definition of offender profiling has emerged that recognizes the range of fruitful, reliable, tested, and transparent evidence-based methods by which psychologists might provide useful advice to the police during investigations. This is reflected in the adoption of the term 'behavioral investigative advisor' for the practitioners of such analyses. This change reflects the adoption of a new tack that departs from the previous focus on the offender and his/her likely 'psychological profile' while addressing the myriad of issues that are involved in investigating a crime. Behavioral investigative advisors now assist on issues such as DNA intelligence-led screening, risk assessments, geographical analysis, the credibility of victim statements, and the analysis of links among evidence material. 7 tables, 1 figure, and 13 references