NCJ Number
192153
Date Published
2001
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the use of informants by the police and the agents of the Security Service in England and Wales.
Abstract
The discussion notes some problems and dangers in the practice of using informants, as well as the potential benefits. There is some evidence that the police culture and official bodies concerned with cost management in policing may tout the benefits of informants beyond their actual value and effectiveness. Based on limited knowledge about the success of informants in achieving convictions, this paper does not attempt to estimate their effectiveness. The key unresolved issue is the tension between the need for transparency in the resolution of cases and the matter of disclosure of evidence in a court trial. Prosecutors and police tend to support the view that the disclosure of the identity of an informant would place the informant in danger. On the one hand, justice and the courts might expect that evidence submitted be open to thorough questioning; on the other hand, courts are also likely to accept the argument of prosecution and police that sources must be protected. In various jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, there have been recent initiatives to attempt to resolve these tensions. Still, the problem remains. This paper recommends that a greater degree of openness in relation to the use of informants be practiced; that informants not be overused or misused; and that they be used only in matters of serious crime where their contribution is necessary, justifiable, and useful. 30 references and 8 notes