The police’s intelligence-led crisis management: Crossing knowledge boundaries of operational and intelligence practices during acute crises

Abstract

Major, acute crises call for efficient crisis management. This study examines how understandings of police operational and intelligence officers affect collaboration and information sharing during acute crises. The paper shows the crisis management structure impedes collaboration in developing a collective understanding. Knowledge gaps led to difficulty in sharing information and intelligence, and, in decision-making meetings, in trusting the intelligence analysis. The study provides insight into social prerequisites necessary for managers’ collaborative work to be coherent and meaningful. The discussion concentrates on bridging the gap between operational and intelligence practices by reducing the existing knowledge boundaries.