ABSTRACT
Law enforcement is, out of necessity, continually evolving, as the needs of society and the very structure of society changes. Although many crime types, such as murder and robbery, remain the same, other new types of crime evolve, such as complex frauds and Internet-related crimes. As crimes continually evolve, the law enforcement methods used to investigate these crimes must also continually evolve, as it has done with the use of techniques relating to deoxyribonucleic acid (commonly referred to as DNA), unheard of a generation ago but now having become a standard investigative tool. In a similar vein, criminals are using emerging technology to facilitate their criminality, forcing law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to use modern technology
as a tool to capture the criminals at their own games. Within this everchanging playing field, there is an increased pressure on law enforcement from citizens to prevent crimes from happening, before there are victims and if that is not possible, law enforcement is expected to catch the perpetrators and hold them accountable for their crimes, quickly and without making mistakes. And the best part is that all this is to be done with very limited resources. Although it can be argued that the public have unrealistic expectations of law enforcement, perhaps seen elsewhere only in their expectations of health care, there is an obligation on law enforcement to provide the best value in relation to discharging their obligations. And that is the rub-who decides what the policing priorities are and how is the most effective way to police? How do the public get the best value out of their police service?
