Amicus Legal Consultants was engaged by the Global Center for Cooperative Security (US) to develop a detailed manual on ‘Using and Protecting Intelligence Information in Criminal Justice Sector-Led Investigations and Prosecutions for Trainers’.
Based on the manual, Martin Polaine and Arvinder Sambei designed & delivered a workshop for criminal justice stakeholders held in Malta in partnership with the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ). The participants attending included representatives from intelligence agencies, investigators, and prosecutors/investigating magistrates and were from a number of Francophone countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger and Tunisia. The entire course was run in French and English.
During the early part of the workshop, participants were introduced to the role of intelligence and international good practice developed through national systems and Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) on intelligence gathering, handling of intelligence and developing intelligence into evidence. As the use of covert means is central to intelligence gathering, human rights principles (legality, necessity & proportionality) need to be taken into account when applying for, or authorising, the deployment of special investigative means (SIMs). The discussions, which included the use of our Solve:Interactive debriefing system, focussed on the practical application of these principles and the questions those authorising should ask in order to satisfy themselves that the request for SIMs is both necessary & proportionate.
Following the presentations and discussions, participants were engaged in a 3 day Solve:Immersive exercise, which was created and designed by Amicus Legal Consultants to draw out the issues relevant to the course. This allowed the participants to practice the their decision-making skills in light of the training .
Helpful web links:
International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law: https://theiij.org/using-and-protecting-intelligence-in-criminal-justice-led-investigations
Global Counter Terrorism Forum: https://www.thegctf.org/documents/10162/159887/14Sept19_GCTF+Rabat+GP+6+Recommendations.pdf
