Necessary Considerations in Decision-Making to Investigate Crimes of Terrorism Workshop
On 15-16 March 2022, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) organized an introductory workshop on “Necessary Considerations in Decision-Making to Investigate Crimes of Terrorism” at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The workshop was delivered by the Global Fusion Cells Programme, and provided modules on Decision-Making, Bias & the Investigative Mindset, Decision Models, developing Hypotheses and Analysis of Competing Hypothesis (ACH), and Evaluation and Admissibility. Senior law enforcement, security and intelligence officials from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Mauritania, Bahrain, Oman, Libya, Sudan, Kuwait, Somalia, Mexico and Spain participated in the workshop.
The workshop covered different decision-making models and factors that affect decision-making, such as working rules, personal and verification bias, availability error, and how an investigative mindset can help investigators overcome these influences. Moreover, it explored investigative sources as evidence for crimes, as well as planning and preparing investigations, examining material, recording and storage of information, and evaluation of sources. The workshop also included terrorism case studies which demonstrates the real-world application of these decision-making concepts and investigative processes.
This workshop is part of a comprehensive building-block approach brought forth by the Global Fusion Cells Programme, which ties into a larger set of foundational skills, developed in accordance with international standards.
Background
The 3-year Global Fusion Cells Programme was launched in January 2020 and is co-funded by the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund (UNPDF) and the Governments of Portugal and Qatar. UNOCT’s Special Projects Section implements the programme in cooperation with CTED, UNPOL, CAERT, and Interpol. Current programme beneficiaries include Ghana, Botswana, Uganda, Togo, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the regional body SADC. The United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT) Fusion Cells programme provides specialist technical assistance and expertise to help beneficiary countries develop legislative and institutional frameworks that support robust, relevant, and fit-for-purpose national level interagency coordination mechanisms or ‘Fusion Cells/Centres’, to address the threat of terrorism. Such mechanisms strengthen intelligence and investigation and can thereby help ensure appropriate preparedness as well as contribute to a more effective response to and recovery from terrorist attacks.
