ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the environmental shifts and managerial changes within law enforcement that have created a landscape conducive to intelligence-led policing. It explores the specific conditions in the UK and the US as illustrative of the influence that the local environment can have on police strategy. The chapter examines how hot spots policing has changed thinking about foot patrol; but what is clear from the research period is the lack of evidence to support the standard policing strategies long held to be the backbone of effective policing. Policing has been traditionally perceived to be resistant to change; however, the modern policing situation is one of almost constant adaptation to pressures both internal and external. The foundations for intelligence-led policing had been laid prior to the first Home Office reports on problem-oriented policing, with the Audit Commission report, Helping with Enquiries: Tackling Crime Effectively.
