A day in the life of... a NABIS Intelligence Analyst

Following the commute into work, the day always needs to start with a nice hot cup of tea and a quick catch up with colleagues so I can get set for the day ahead.

First things first, I open the National Daily Briefing Document in order to see what firearms related incidents have been reported from across the UK. Depending upon what has been reported, this may require contact with the local forces in order to elaborate upon the details provided or to secure any images of a particular firearm / ammunition of interest.

Then begins the daily scroll through e-mails to ensure there have been no requests for data or intelligence which require an urgent response. Luckily today has been kind and I have no e-mails requiring an immediate response; I have got away with a meeting invite, an update from an earlier request and a few ‘just for information’ messages.

Today is the day to start pulling together the research for the Regional Quarterly Intelligence Bulletins (RQIB) which the NABIS Intelligence Cell publishes every quarter for each Police Region and a National version which encompasses the whole of the UK and Northern Ireland.  The RQIB will consist of firearm discharges, recoveries, inferred weapons (including linked series), exceptional reporting and emerging trends.

Scrutiny begins of our analytical software (Qlik Sense), the NABIS database and the Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) data in order to identify what incidents have been reported upon by NABIS during the specific quarterly period and which ballistic material has not yet been received at the forensic hubs.

As an analyst I want to make sure my region(s) has all the information they need to inform their tactical responses and highlight any opportunities for intelligence gathering so this data collation can take anything from one day to one week to complete, depending upon the demand within each region. Regions which consist of major gun crime forces will require more complex analysis than those who do not encounter firearms activity regularly.

Being an intelligence analyst requires an organised and structured mind with the ability to juggle multiple tasks at once. Whilst working on the RQIB, I will also deal with the queries coming into the office, help colleagues with any questions they may have, organise meetings, respond to spontaneous requests and make sure my other work commitments are not lagging behind. Prioritisation and time management are key to this role and after 14 years within the intelligence arena, I have my routine pretty much sorted!

Phew, the day finally comes to an end and a draft RQIB has come to life, I have scheduled meetings for the next two weeks with agencies such as the National Crime Agency, The United Nations and my NABIS Intelligence Team, and have set reminders on my calendar to prompt me to chase up a Shotgun and a Pistol which has been registered but not submitted. Not a bad day in the office all things considered.

Let’s see what tomorrow holds…