Any Investigation Practitioner must know the …INT…..
HUMINT, OSTINT, TECINT, COMINT, WEBINT, SIGINT
The primary objective of any security, criminology, risk and protection practitioner is to gather reliable and all the information. The information would be used to plan, manage and monitor their region of interest or could be used to build a case requiring oral and hard evidence. By comprehending the narrative and informational situational awareness then the right people or the right tools can be used for the right reason at the right time under the appropriate conditions.
Information gathering from people, equipment, technology and the net is key to knowing where and what can be used;
HUMINT : Human Intelligence: Intelligence Gathering and Collection
OSINT: Open Source Intelligence: Social Media Intelligence
COMINT: Communications Intelligence: Communications between people using devices
TECINT: Technology Intelligence: ‘Threat Equipment’ Intelligence Gathering using Equipment – be it by high speed memory sticks or perhaps bugging equipment (Ref:https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/TECINT)
The above can be dissected even more so where WEBINT is the identify the sources and SIGNIT is to identify the electronic signals that talk to devices
HUMIT: Gathering Human Intelligence: It is not the weapon that kills, maims or commits havoc – it is the person. We do know that people lie, hide or volunteer information for their own agenda. Subsequently, the practitioner that is unable to read a person if they are being deceptive will not be able to locate a person of interest. This will lead to the practitioner not knowing who is involved voluntarily or under duress. The biggest nightmare for any practitioner is not knowing what his truly happening on the ground. Consequently, gather HUMAN INTELLIGENCE IS PRIORITY ONE.
TECINT: Being aware of devices such as phone recording, bugging devices and high speed data-capturing devices or software speaks for itself.
COMINT: Information leakage, intellectual theft, industrial espionage, or being bugged and tapped could lead to blackmail and extortion. Hybrid domain experts could be called in to trace devices that could identify other users with their devices to net transnational, local organized crime and gang crime besides the lone wolf predator.
ONSINT: Being aware of open source intelligence could lead to reputational damage by having video footage desperced world-wide that could cripple an organization or person. This could lead to bullying not only of children but adults as well.
All practitioners practise investigation in one form or the other, be it to identify criminals or for vetting, compliance or governance management for any faculty. Therefore, information gathering is the foundation for all.
The practitioner whether they like or or not must be able out-think and outsmart the criminal by being able to critically think the person. It does not help to do just one investigative method of training and believe that one is weaponized and equipped, because you have no idea who can out-think and outsmart you. This is a skill-set that demands the mastering of the skill-craft.
Success depends on critical thinking the level of awareness of the decision-makers on the ground and their reaction speed