Problem-Oriented vs. Intelligence-Led Policing in London
This essay compares and contrasts two major policing models — problem-oriented policing (POP) and intelligence-led policing (ILP) — using London as a focal point. The paper traces POP's American origins with Herman Goldstein's 1979 framework and the subsequent development of the SARA model by Eck and Spelman in 1987. It then examines ILP's British roots in the early 1990s and its global spread to Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. The essay explores how both models shifted policing from reactive to proactive approaches, identifies where the two frameworks overlap — particularly during the scanning and analysis phases of SARA — and argues that effective data analysis can enhance both models, especially for complex crimes such as human trafficking.
- Introduction: London as context for comparing two policing models
- Problem-Oriented Policing: Origins and Framework: POP's American roots, Goldstein, and SARA
- Intelligence-Led Policing: Origins and Global Spread: ILP's British origins and international adoption
- Comparing POP and ILP: Data focus and reactive versus proactive distinctions
- The SARA Model as Common Ground: Scanning and analysis phases where models converge
- Conclusion: Data analysis strengthens both policing models
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What makes this paper effective
- Clearly defines both policing models before comparing them, giving readers the foundational knowledge needed to follow the argument.
- Grounds claims in specific historical details — dates, authors, and geographic contexts — which adds credibility without overloading the reader.
- Uses the SARA model as a structural bridge between POP and ILP, showing where the two frameworks overlap rather than simply listing differences.
- Applies the theoretical comparison to a concrete crime type (human trafficking), demonstrating real-world relevance.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper employs a compare-and-contrast structure anchored by a shared framework (SARA). Rather than treating POP and ILP as entirely separate topics, the author uses SARA's phases — particularly scanning and analysis — as common ground to show where the models converge, a technique that moves the argument beyond simple description toward analytical synthesis.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with a brief framing of London as a case study, then devotes separate sections to the origins of POP and ILP. A transitional section directly compares the two models on their approaches to data and reactive versus proactive policing. The SARA model is then examined step by step to identify overlap between the frameworks. The conclusion returns to the broader implication: that effective crime analysis can strengthen either model, especially for organized crime.
Introduction
London, England has employed different models of policing to help combat crime, making it a useful point of comparison for evaluating how those models perform in practice. The two models examined here are problem-oriented policing (POP) and intelligence-led policing (ILP). This essay compares and contrasts the two models to determine whether they are compatible with each other or whether one outperforms the other.
Problem-Oriented Policing: Origins and Framework
Problem-oriented policing is vastly different from intelligence-led policing in several respects. POP, for example, has roots in the United States, whereas ILP has British roots. POP was developed as a means of helping American police officers devise strategies that minimize and prevent crime. Under this model, police are expected to systematically examine issues within a community, search for potential solutions, and assess the effectiveness of their efforts (Braga, 2010).
POP allows police to attempt to alter any underlying conditions within certain hotspots that may contribute to ongoing crime problems. The model involves looking beyond traditional approaches and considering alternative strategies that could address disorder and crime. What was originally an American form of policing has since become a globally adopted approach among progressive law enforcement agencies (Braga, 2010).
First developed in 1979 by Herman Goldstein, POP arose because the standard model of policing at the time did not facilitate the kind of effective effort needed to combat crime. Before POP, policing was mainly incident-driven and reactive. After its introduction, policing became more proactive, targeting and identifying problems that contribute to community issues such as disorder and crime. The model was not fully implemented until the Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment (SARA) model was created by Eck and Spelman in 1987. With SARA, POP could be fully realized.
Intelligence-Led Policing: Origins and Global Spread
Intelligence-led policing began in the early 1990s in Great Britain. Although the United States had developed its own version during the 1970s, it was not until the British began using ILP that the model gained widespread recognition as a tool for crime prevention. What started as a means of improving the analytical capacity of police officers evolved into a distinctive approach to crime prevention and a data-driven movement. As Ratcliffe (2016) explains, "Originally formulated as a law enforcement operational strategy that emphasized the use of criminal intelligence when planning police tactics, intelligence-led policing has evolved into a management model and data-driven movement" (p. 7).
The aim of ILP is to promote a future-oriented, targeted, and strategic mindset among law enforcement regarding crime control, rather than prioritizing operations that could lead to wasted resources and poor outcomes. Although the British initially faced difficulties implementing such a policing model, the eventual success of the approach prompted other countries to adopt similar strategies. Canada, for example, implemented its version of ILP in 2000, with New Zealand following closely behind in 2002. The model soon became a topic of serious consideration for U.S. law enforcement as well.
Conclusion
Policing models are changing and have changed significantly over the last few decades. POP and ILP are just two of several models that have helped countries like the United States and Great Britain better understand crime and criminal activity. Effective analysis can take these models one step further by enabling police to focus on data collection and data management. Without proper analysis, crimes will be harder to detect — particularly in relation to organized crime.
References
Braga, A. A. (2010). Problem-oriented policing and crime prevention. L. Rienner Publishers.
Ratcliffe, J. H. (2016). Intelligence-led policing. Routledge.
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