Knowledge sharing in criminal investigations : an empirical study of Norwegian police as value shop

Abstract

Police investigation units represent a knowledge-intensive and time-critical environment. The amount of information that detectives come into contact with in the course of their work is astounding. This and the vast knowledge that police officers need, suggest that police officers are knowledge workers. Knowledge sharing is a key process in knowledge activities, including the capture, transfer, and creation of knowledge. Both tacit and explicit knowledge are of critical importance to solve criminal cases. In this paper, police investigation units are defined as value shops, where primary detective activities occur. Knowledge sharing is found to have a significant influence on all primary activities of the police investigation value shop.