Inter-Organisational Relationships between Intelligence and Law Enforcement Organisations: What are the Options and How are they Different?

Abstract

In the second decade of the twenty-first century, intelligence and law enforcement organisations are working more closely together than ever before. The security challenges they collectively face are complex, and “wicked” in nature. No public sector organisation is capable of achieving success alone in this area in the way envisaged when siloed, functional departments and agencies were created to deliver government policy outcomes. In working together, a variety of relationships are entered into that move organisations from positions of autonomy in their day-to-day activities, towards situations where mergers with other organisations could be the outcome. But, do those involved appreciate the difference between, say, cooperating and collaborating? Scholars agree that the language of relationships is often used interchangeably, even casually. So do intelligence and law enforcement organisations really appreciate the types of engagement they are entering into? More importantly perhaps, what they will require of them? This paper discusses the limited variety of interorganisational relationships that exist as well as the  differences between them. It focuses on the language that is used to describe intelligence and law enforcement relationships so that that relationship can become clearer. This, it is posited, will assist those engaging in, or researching, such relationships to discern what is actually meant when they are spoken of or written about.