Policing the New Europe-The Information Deficit

The European police terrain comprises a jigsaw of different police forces, judicial systems and information networks. Throughout Europe police need information in order to do their job. Police detect very little crime themselves but rely heavily on information from the public about the commission of crimes. Also, in order to plan operations, surveillance or identify likely suspects in a criminal investigation they will need information such as geographic details, physical descriptions and the like. Technology can be used to enhance the operational effectiveness of police forces by firstly, allowing vast amounts of information to be stored in readily accessible form, secondly, enabling the police to deploy resources efficiently and finally, by aiding police forces in large scale preservation of law and order. This article explores the extent to which the European policing environment is being altered and contends that, as a result of demands for increasingly sophisticated information and communication links, the pace of technological development will have a direct impact on the nature of policing in the 'New Europe'.