The Proactive Recruitment of Human Intelligence Sources
Throughout this article the term ‘source’ will be used to refer to a person who has been deliberately recruited by an agency to provide information to that agency against an intelligence requirement. . It is intended here to embrace terms such as confidential informant, covert human intelligence source, CHIS, and HUMINT.
The traditional method of obtaining sources is to wait until a suitable opportunity arises and then ask the person to become a source. These opportunities generally appeared when a member of a gang or organisation, had been arrested and was facing charges. The investigating officer would then offer them some form of ‘deal’, along the lines of ‘information for lesser charges’ or ‘information for money.’ Alternatively, a person with information to give law enforcement, that they have obtained through their criminal activity or association with criminals, would walk in to a law enforcement agency and offer to give that information in return for some form of reward. With both these types of recruitment, the handler (the officer who engages with the source) takes what they can get and attempts to develop the investigation from there. It is a passive approach
The concept of ‘proactive recruitment’ is a fundamental change to these types of source operations. It changes the dynamic of the recruitment, moving the initiative away from the person who has the information and gives it back to law enforcement. In proactive recruitment it is the agency that decides:
The criminality that will be prioritised for investigation.
The person that will be recruited.
How, when and where that person, will be approached.
The direction in which the source will be pushed to collect information, on the identified investigation.
This change can be described as a move from ‘source lead investigation’ (where the agency prioritise work based on the information a source chooses to provide), to an ‘agency lead investigation’ (where the agency has prioritised what it will investigate.)
There is one distinct problem with proactive recruitment; the person that we want to be a source does not want to be a source.
In the majority of cases the person that is in the best position to provide the intelligence we require, is the person who, outwardly, appears to be the one least likely to give it. The proactive recruitment structure outlined below recognises this problem but attempts to provide a structure to:
Challenge the officer’s assumption that the individual will not become a source. Often law enforcement officers ‘assume’ an individual is untouchable.
Create circumstances where the potential source will have to question the decision not to become a source. Many decisions we make are based on our knowledge of life and our circumstances at that time. In proactive recruitment we will look at techniques that can be used to alter both of these with regard to the prospect.
Identify other potential sources. If the primary choice will not become a source, then secondary or tertiary choices will be readily identified.
Build a network of sources, structured in a manner, that the combined intelligence product will be equivalent to that of the one desired individual.
With proactive recruitment we adopt a structured approach, working through various stages.
The Human Source Management Framework (© Reid and Buckley 2004)
Each of the stages are described below.
Need - This is where the intelligence requirement against which the source will gather information is identified.
This need generates two responses:
Planned Approach – An operation is planned to recruit a source. This will lead to the Targeting Stage
Unplanned Opportunity – An opportunity arises for the handler to attempt to recruit someone who can satisfy the need. This leads directly to the Recruiting Stage where the handler can employ the generic social psychology.
Targeting – The targeting of particular potential prospects. This is carried out at two levels social psychological information and the intelligence case. This will allow the handler to develop ‘Targeted Psychology’ for the individual.
Recruiting – This is the recruitment stage where the handler interacts with the potential source with a view to getting them to meet with the handler and become a source.
Handling – This stage takes the handler from the post recruitment meeting through the development process to the effective use of the source and ultimately to the termination of the source.
Obviously, there is more to proactive recruitment than we have outlined here. If you are involved in law enforcement, the military or an intelligence service get in touch and we can discuss. We have been researching and developing the methodology for over twenty years. It works - regardless of the target group.
