Introduction – Themes and issues

Abstract

This volume brings together a range of chapters which address the linkage between law enforcement, the uses of and developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs) and key ideas about the management of information, intelligence and knowledge in this domain. The book is split into three sections. Section 1 presents four chapters which address the details, outcomes, user needs and background theoretical ideas behind the Odyssey Project. The Odyssey Project was part-funded under the EU FP7 programme to explore the challenges of establishing a Pan-European ballistics and crime information intelligence network and to propose solutions, including a demonstrator prototype system. As such the Odyssey project represents an example of the type of system that is likely to become commonly used by Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) in the near future.