The Centre of Knowledge for Criminal Investigation and Crime Control studies general and specialist criminal investigations. One example of specialist investigations is the investigation of clues by detectives. We in addition investigate new forms of cooperation that allow the Netherlands Police to investigate and prove crime - or to prevent it. The studies conducted by the Centre of Knowledge can be divided into two subjects: criminal investigations and security coalitions. Our knowledge services provide knowledge to police practise and police education
Criminal investigations are conducted in accordance with criminal law. The quality of criminal investigations is a recurring topic in social debate. At issue is the quality of investigative skills, such as police questioning, the preparation of official reports, or forensic reports, but also the quality of the entire investigative process. Research topics include criminal investigative studies, forensic investigations, and "investigative interviewing".
The criminal investigation profession is in constant flux. Criminal investigations continue to require high-level knowledge - technological and digital knowledge, but also substantive knowledge and knowledge on the cooperation with various partners.
This topic focuses on questions arising from the criminal investigative and training practice. Professionalism and innovation form the core subjects within these studies.
Technical developments allow the Netherlands Police to constantly improve the quality and speed of investigations. Our society is also becoming more and more digitalised, resulting in different forms of crime and vastly increased amounts of digital traces. New technologies help the Netherlands Police make better use of various types of clues in the investigative process, and to use them more quickly. Our research focuses on:
"Investigative interviewing" is essentially questioning 2.0. It is a method to collect information from persons reporting a crime, from witnesses, and from suspects. This allows the Netherlands Police to collect more reliable information. "Investigative interviewing" has been the international standard for many years now and ever more countries are making use of it. Our studies focus on how best to train Police Officers and detectives to make use of this method, but also on how best to continue providing them with training in the practical situation and on how to conduct investigative interviews remotely, using a video connection.
Security coalitions are cooperative ventures entered into by the Netherlands Police to improve security. The Netherlands Police in this framework works together with various public and private partners relevant to criminal investigations. Ever more parties are becoming active in this field. The Netherlands Police are looking for new ways to cooperate in order to prevent and investigate crime. It is important to use the expertise of all parties in this framework.
Research topics include criminal investigations by citizens and knowledge mobilisation.
Citizens nowadays have more ways to themselves conduct an investigation than used to be the case. Technology, in particular, has improved, allowing citizens to obtain ever more information. As a result, they increasingly become police partners - both on police request and on their own initiative. It is important that the Netherlands Police decide its position on the matter and on how to deal with such investigations within the context of cooperation between citizens and the Netherlands Police, and that it considers the lessons to be learned in this connection.
The modern world witnesses rapid (technological) development. The knowledge obtained about criminal investigations is growing along with these changes. Developments at times outpace the Netherlands Police's capability to keep abreast of them, leading the Netherlands Police to cooperate with other partners increasingly often. This allows the Netherlands Police to use the specialist knowledge of its partners when conducting criminal investigations. Our research focuses on the methods the Netherlands Police can deploy in the context of criminal investigations and on the question of the actual benefits of this type of cooperation in practice.
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