Tracking violent crime - Australian Institute of Criminology

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE
TRACKING VIOLENT CRIME
PAPER PRESENTED TO THE
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF CRIMINOLOGY
SECOND NATIONAL OUTLOOK SYMPOSIUM
Violent Crime, Property Crime and Public Policy.
Detective Inspector Bronwyn Killmier
February 1997

THE AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE (ABCI)
The Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence (ABCI), based in Canberra, is a multijurisdictional
agency established in 1981 and administered by the Federal, State and
Territory Governments. The Board of Control comprises all Australian Police
Commissioners, and the Australasian Police Ministers Council (APMC) is responsible
for policy matters relating to the ABCI.
The ABCI’s role includes the collection, collation, analysis and dissemination of both
strategic and tactical criminal intelligence to law enforcement agencies in Australia.
This includes the research and distribution of criminal intelligence, the identification of
national projects for operational action, liaison with other relevant agencies, and
recommendation of proposals for legislative changes to combat organised crime.
The ABCI is staffed by both seconded police officers and civilian analysts.
The Bureau provides a coordinated approach to processing criminal intelligence. The
Australian Law Enforcement Intelligence Network, (ALEIN), is networked to police
services providing easy and timely access to information.
In 1994, following the Belanglo murders in New South Wales, the ABCI was tasked to
undertake a national assessment of unsolved homicides, missing persons and serious
offences. Recommendations emanating from the 1994 ABCI Audit Review included;
the introduction of a behavioural analytical capability be pursued by the
Bureau through cooperation with those agencies which have commenced to
develop behavioural analytical capabilities, the conducting of a behavioural
analysis conference and development of info capture, collation and analysis
framework, using the strengths of the US, British, Canadian, European models.
In May 1994, the ABCI Board of Control directed that the Bureau develop a national
behavioural analytical capability for law enforcement, including implementing a
system designed to link offences across Australia, as well as criminal investigative
analysis, formerly known as criminal profiling.
In February 1995, the Australian Violent Crime Analysis Centre (AVCAC) was
formed at the ABCI to provide a behavioural analytical capability for law enforcement.
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BACKGROUND TO AVCAC
The proposal to set up a linkage system and a Criminal Investigative Analysis Unit in
Australia had been discussed for some time. Various feasibility reports were
completed by the National Police Research Unit (NPRU).
In 1990 - 1991, two Australian police officers completed the Police Fellowship
program at the FBI Academy, Quantico, USA. . One of these police officers,
Detective Inspector Bronwyn Killmier from South Australia has since been seconded
to the Bureau to establish the Australian Violent Crime Analysis Centre (AVCAC).
The second officer, a Victorian resigned from his Home Force in 1994.
During 1992 discussions were held at senior level amongst Australian Police Services
as to the best way to formulate a national analytical unit and its appropriate location.
A Working Party examined the common police services and determined that the ABCI
was the most appropriate location and a centralised concept being the best alternative.
The proposal, although supported by the jurisdictions in principle, did not eventuate
due to budgetary constraints.
Following on from the recommendations made in 1994, the ABCI and the South
Australia Police Department jointly conducted a ViCLAS/Criminal Investigative
Analysis Course in Adelaide in November 1994. Personnel from the FBI and the
Canadian Ontario Provincial Police were keynote speakers at the Workshop which
included participants were from all Australasian State and Territory police services
including New Zealand. The course was considered a success in both marketing terms
as well as providing the framework for a network of coordinators throughout
Australasia.
SERVICES OFFERED BY THE AVCAC
The AVCAC has responsibility for five separate areas;
• Criminal Investigative Analysis, formerly known as Criminal Profiling
This not only includes completing profiles on unknown offenders, but also member
provide crime analysis, threat analysis, interview strategies, investigative suggestions,
equivocal death analysis and scientific content analysis. These services are offered in
a wide range of areas including murder, extortion, sexual offences, missing person
enquires and arson.
• The National Missing Persons Unit (NMPU).
This Unit is Federally funded for four years and has a three pronged approach to the
issue of missing persons. It coordinates the National Advisory Committee on Missing
Persons comprising of representatives from Community Groups who work in this area,
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as well as police The NMPU also coordinates the Police Consultative Group on
Missing Persons and is responsible for public awareness and the provision of
investigative support when requested. In 1997, the Unit has the responsibility of
coordinating National Missing Persons Week in August.
• Threat assessment
• Product contamination, extortion and kidnapping (where extortion is involved)
• The Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System (ViCLAS)
LINKAGE SYSTEMS
The concept of linking violent serial offenders and offences is not new. The FBI
Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) was developed after a Los Angeles
Police Department detective named Pierce Brooks, recognised the difficulty in
comparing murders in the United States. In 1958, he was investigating several
murders and believed that the offenders would have previously killed elsewhere in the
United States. There was no national repository to ascertain this information, so he
began researching in the city library where he reviewed major newspapers looking for
media reports of similar cases.
After receiving funding from the United States Department of Justice in the 1970’s, a
task force of homicide investigators, crime analysts and behavioural experts developed
the ViCAP system, which officially became operational in 1985.
ViCAP is not a form of artificial intelligence but manipulates the data collected in
order for an analyst to examine possibly related cases. It provides a national forum for
modus operandi, as well as offender and victim behaviour to be examined. The
ViCAP system is administered by the FBI working from the National Centre for the
Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC), and is supported by regional FBI offices. The
success of the system relies heavily on information received from each policing
agency. There have been difficulties in the ViCAP system which is not surprising
considering there are approximately 14000 separate police agencies in the United
States, not all of which contribute to the ViCAP system.
BACKGROUND TO ViCLAS
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) examined and evaluated their own
Major Crime File System (MCFS), ViCAP and other systems available worldwide,
before developing ViCLAS.
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As well as Canada, ViCLAS has now been adopted by several areas of the United
States, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, England and Australia.
Although New Zealand may not adopt ViCLAS, they are examining methods to make
their systems compatible, to ensure information flow between our two countries.
HOW DOES ViCLAS WORK
ViCLAS works in a similar manner to ViCAP, but is more user friendly, as it runs in a
Windows environment.
Data is collected for specific violent crimes and entered onto the ViCLAS system.
The categories of crime include
• All solved or unsolved homicides and attempts;
• Solved or unsolved sexual assaults of a predatory nature;
• Unidentified dead bodies, where the manner of death is known or suspected to be
homicide;
• Outstanding missing persons - those still missing after sixty days or where the
circumstances of their disappearance is immediately suspicious.
• All non parental abductions and attempts; and
• Known or suspected false allegations of sexual assault.
ViCLAS requires a trained analyst to manipulate the data and come to a conclusion as
to whether cases are linked. The analysts then advise the appropriate investigators,
who liaise.
Training of the specialist analysts is vital. ViCLAS relies not only on the traditional
Modus Operandi (M.O) information but also on behavioural information from the
crime scene. The analysts will have to be able to differentiate between the M.O and
signature aspects of the crime and to understand this, will have to be trained in the
basic concepts of criminal investigative analysis.
The M.O. of a crime describes the way in which an offender carries out the crime. It is
learned behaviour that is developed over time and is dynamic. The M.O. may change
over time as the offender gains experience and confidence. An example of this is the
offender who breaks into a house through a window without wearing gloves. He may
be apprehended through fingerprint evidence and so the next time breaks into a house
through a window, but wears gloves.
The signature aspects of a crime are somewhat different. This is a unique and integral
part of the offender’s behaviour, which often goes beyond the actions needed to
commit the crime. The signature aspect of a crime often has it’s beginnings in the
offender’s fantasies, is related to his particular needs, and the theme generally remains
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constant in his offences, although aspects of the signature may evolve as he progresses
from crime to crime. An example of a signature aspect may be the particular way that
the offender binds his victim, or the order of his sexual acts. Unless an analyst is
trained to recognise the significance of these acts, vital information connecting the
offences may be lost.
The cornerstone of effective analysis and case linkage, is standardised data collection
methodology and entry. The ViCLAS data collection forms contain simple, closed
ended questions and “formatted“ multiple choice answers. The adoption of this
methodology overcomes a variety of common data collection errors that occur with
narrative based systems.
As Canada is a bilingual country the system was developed so that it crosses language
difficulties. Each standardised answer to the ViCLAS questions has been assigned a
value and when the analyst queries the system, it is actually the value assigned to the
answer given, rather than the language used, that the computer searches on. So the
language of data entry is irrelevant for all queries involving formatted fields. This will
of course not function in areas that narrative text appears. However, given the
comprehensive nature of the data collection forms and the corresponding formatted
fields, text searches should be rare, and if required, the system still has that capability.
Confidentiality is an important issue. The actual data entered is still owned by the
agency who is responsible for investigating the offence. There are strict privacy
conditions placed on who can view the data, and if a linkage is identified then the
investigators are advised of that but not of the specific details of the linked case. It is
then up to the discretion of each investigator as to what is shared.
PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS FOR AUSTRALIAN LAW ENFORCEMENT
Australia has not escaped the serial murder or the serial rape phenomena. The media
reports in avid detail the crimes of each of them. We can all recall people like John
Glover, the New South Wales Granny murderer - who killed 6 elderly women, and
Ivan Milat, convicted of the murders of the seven backpackers in the Belanglo State
Forest environs.
The serial killer and rapist differ from other offenders as he often plans his crimes,
selects a certain type of victim and a location, is confident, monitors his own
behaviour to avoid detection and as there is often no relationship between himself and
the victim, he is difficult to detect.
Problems identified by law enforcement in not only investigating these crimes, but
also in linking these crimes include:
1. Mobility of the Offender
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Modern transport enables offenders to commit offences in one location and
quickly move to another area with ease. An offender could commit an offence
in one capital city in the morning and be in another city within a day. This
ability to travel great distances in a short period of time, combined with the
lack of a relationship between the offender and the victim, creates considerable
difficulties for those attempting to solve the crime.
2. Lack of a common language
United States Department of Justice research discovered that a major
impediment to the early identification of serial murder cases was that
investigators, when describing their cases, used different terms to describe the
same things. This meant that commonalities between cases were sometimes
missed.
3. Lack of knowledge about other cases
In Australia, although we only have eight policing agencies, investigators in
one agency rarely know what is happening in another state or territory, unless
the media reports on cases. As some State police agencies become
regionalised, the communication problems within those States have intensified.
Investigators generally have a heavy workload of their own without wondering
what is happening in the next region. In some cases, one shift does not know
what has happened on a previous shift.
4. Lack of knowledge about our own cases.
Personnel changes within organisations mean that a lot of information is lost or
no longer available. Unless a Detective has been in an area for some period of
time, they may not link a current case with a similar case which occurred 6
years ago in the same area. New investigators are often unaware of the details
of old homicide cases, and as experienced detectives leave, their expertise is
often lost with them.
ViCLAS provides solutions to these problems.
Once a case has been entered onto the system it remains active as it is constantly
compared against other cases. This is reassuring to victims and their relatives, who the
investigator can truthfully tell that the case is still being investigated. It also means
that a lack of knowledge about our own cases or each other’s cases no longer hinders
investigations.
As the system will be implemented nationally the offender’s mobility also ceases to be
a problem as the system and analyst will link offences committed by the same offender
in different areas. The adoption of ViCLAS by other countries provides a vehicle for
comparing cases, where the offender has been known to travel overseas.
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Completion of the ViCLAS information means that each case entered onto the system
is described in exactly the same way, as investigators answer exactly the same
questions, select from the same answer options and use the same definitions.
Comparison of cases is based on the data entered using specific criteria, thus
overcoming the lack of a common language.
ViCLAS will not only assist the investigator, but will provide cost effective solutions
for police agencies across Australia. If links between cases are identified, information
is able to be shared and a multi jurisdictional approach is taken, then costs will be
saved in the investigation. If just one murderer or rapist is apprehended, and other
cases can be solved from linking that offender to an unsolved case, cost savings will
be made.
As well as the monetary costs, there are also others to consider. Police rely on the
support of the public in apprehending offenders , preventing and solving crime. The
public safety and their perceptions must be balanced against the cost of the system.
The hidden costs of homicide include the loss of faith of policing by the community,
the loss of wage earners, as well as the psychological loss to the victim and offender‘s
families and friends. Police in Australia need to be at the forefront of solving crime
and adapting relevant technology for their use.
IMPLEMENTATION IN AUSTRALIA
The ABCI Board of Control has ratified the adoption of ViCLAS, and the system is
currently being implemented nationally, with each jurisdiction taking responsibility for
collecting and entering data onto the system. Each State and/or Territory has a
ViCLAS coordinator who has been trained in the analytical skills required to use the
system.
AVCAC is responsible for the national implementation, training, quality control,
maintenance and marketing of the system, as well as national analysis.
ViCLAS will be shortly available to each jurisdiction through the Australian Law
Enforcement Intelligence Network. This will enable cases placed on the system to be
available for national analysis immediately. The collection of data to enable a
meaningful analysis to occur is a priority.
The combination of the ALEIN and ViCLAS concepts enables further opportunities to
be developed. ALEIN provides the flexibility to display images, which means that
victim and offender photographs could be displayed, as could dental charts for missing
people. There are currently discussions taking place which are coordinated by the
National Institute of Forensic Science (NIFS) into this possibility. The ViCLAS
concept is also currently being examined for the feasibility of holding information on
armed robbery offenders.
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CONCLUSION
The AVCAC has been internationally recognised as the leader in the implementation
of ViCLAS outside of Canada, and is a member of the International Steering
Committee.
As Ted Bundy, the infamous serial murderer told the FBI interviewers,
and
Jurisdictional boundaries and the inability of law enforcement agencies to
communicate with each other allows transient killers to avoid identification
capture
The good investigator knows that nothing will replace a sound investigation, but the
Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System and the other services provided at the
Australian Violent Crime Analysis Centre will enhance the law enforcement effort in
tracking and dealing with violent offenders.
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