Bring back the "Gig" to Australian law enforcement: Human source developments

The arguments for and against the use of informants, now known
as human sources, in law enforcement practice is not a new
debate. Australian law enforcement agencies, like many of their
international counterparts have experienced decades of change in
the movement toward and away from the use of human sources
in criminal investigations and the intelligence gathering process. In
this article, some of the reasons for this inertia are explored within
the context of historical changes in the Australian law enforcement
landscape. In this study, in-depth interviews were conducted with
seven Australian policing and intelligence agencies with senior
management and operational police officers working at recruiting and
handling informants.
Analysed transcripts from key agency representative interviews
identified core themes on the historical political, regulatory systems
and social drivers exerting influence on Australian human source
management including the more recent trends in the resurgence of
informant management practices. A secondary source review and
analysis of current and past Australian law enforcement policies and
internal reports was also undertaken as part of the methodology
applied in this study. As part of good reporting practice for ensuring
confidentiality and agency anonymity is maintained, sensitive and
operational information has been sanitised from the themes reported
in this article. This paper will argue that a great deal of work continues
to be done across our Australian Law enforcement agencies in terms
of broadening the present day focus in both the ‘notional type’ of who
is considered a human source, how human sources are deployed and
the expanding on the expertise and training for those working with
human sources