ABSTRACT
Generally, police cooperation refers to the intentional or unintentional interaction between two or more police entities (including private and public agencies) for the purposes of sharing criminal intelligence, conducting investigations, and ultimately apprehending suspects. International police cooperation is one dynamic by which criminal intelligence is shared across national and geo-political borders (Robertson 1994). It allows police services to tap information sources made available to them in other countries in order to better understand the modus operandi of their suspects. When information collected during an investigation is made available to foreign police agencies, it enables those organizations to identify the specific criminal activities of specific criminal groups and to develop a knowledge base about actual or potential criminal activity that occurs beyond their jurisdiction. Exchanging information gathered during criminal investigations not only establishes networks and links between police professionals (Bigo 1996), it also goes a long way in building trust based on the principles of reciprocity and communication (Anderson 2002). In addition, sharing information provides opportunities to develop crime-fighting strategies and determine the resources needed to conduct multilayered operations which often require the establishment of a team of interested foreign police officers.
