ABSTRACT
Fusion centres are multi-agency hubs designed to coordinate inter-organisational intelligence flows. Multi-agency fusion environments are increasing in number in most countries across the security field as security and intelligence agencies rely on them as a key means of sharing information and therefore ‘joining the dots’ and facilitating inter-organisational collaboration. Fusion centres are also emerging in the field of criminal intelligence. These environments encompass an increasingly broad range of partner agencies beyond those traditionally involved in law enforcement – including those responsible for border security, revenue and taxation, corporate and financial regulation and many other areas of responsibility – largely in order to address the evolving challenges posed by organised criminal groups. While these agencies have shared goals in select areas and an interest in preventing and controlling organised crime, they will also have conflicting mandates and objectives as well as potentially very different ways of thinking and acting. This chapter draws on empirical research conducted in Australia based on a larger project examining the internal dynamics of fusion centres across the field of criminal intelligence. In particular, the chapter examines the relational properties of such environments, including organisational culture and trust, and the ways in which they shape intra- and inter-organisational flows within networked intelligence systems.
