A risky business: the recruitment and running of informers by English police officers

The movement, in the United Kingdom, towards the adoption of proactive policing strategies, and the concomitant emphasis on the use of informers, has resulted in police managers actively encouraging detective officers to increase their use of what is seen by them as a useful resource. However, such managerial exhortations have not been accompanied by the introduction of satisfactory control mechanisms. Drawing on data obtained over a two year period from detailed interviews with detectives and informers, a comprehensive questionnaire and the examination of police files, the paper identifies negative consequences that informer‐based policing policies are producing for individual officers, police forces and ultimately, the criminal justice system.