Fully informed? A methodology for assessing covert informant coverage in policing and law enforcement

The use of covert informants has become a mainstay of contemporary policing in the United Kingdom as police, security and enforcement agencies tackle a range of crimes. Within such agencies, the need to understand the extent to which covert informants can provide information on issues of interest has become essential to effective practice. Drawing upon social penetration theory, this article proposes a new methodology to support police and law enforcement agencies in systematically mapping the breadth and depth of informant coverage. The future testing of such a methodology in practice will represent a critical area for further development and debate.