A number of successful applications in the early days led to the establishment of offender profiling teams in some police forces as well as evolution of private-sector profiling firms. Based on accumulated experience, new offender typologies were proposed to help police in identifying, linking or tracking the culprits. Numerous case studies on profiling were published and films have been made to illustrate just how the profilers and profiling worked. The idea still continues to fascinate a lot of people all over the world.

However, offender profiling has changed a lot over the past decade. Mis-classification, poor prediction and insignificant contribution to criminal investigations have been exposed in numerous profiled cases. Vigorous scientific research and serious debates have challenged the validity and reliability of the traditional typology and clinical approaches of profiling. Some profilers have also been criticised for drawing unsafe conclusions and seriously misleading investigations.

Today, profilers are more humble and responsible in what they say. Many have given up their standalone position and become a member of a multi-disciplinary team supporting major crime investigation. They tend to work alongside other forensic experts and researchers. Instead of giving personal and intuitive guesses, they now have to back up their opinions with solid research and objective analysis. They are also more ready to share their criminal psychology knowledge and methods with frontline detectives. They are working towards the teaching of skills required in collecting psychological evidence, as part of standard detective training -similar to the skills of collecting physical evidence. They now believe that systematic and thorough collection of psychological information is much more useful for investigation than hiring a profiler to interpret 'non-psychological' evidence.

Even without formal psychology training, we know that police officers are actually using a lot of sensible 'layman' psychology in their daily crime control and investigative work. It is most desirable that their accumulative experiences and wisdom can be systematically collected and incorporated in formal psychological knowledge, which all police officers can learn and apply. Such integrated competency of forensic and criminal psychology would be most ideal.

For further information about forensic and criminal psychological competency, you can contact the Police Clinical Psychologist of Child Protection Policy Unit at 2804-1437.

Stress management workshops

The PSG is organising a series of stress management workshops to be conducted in Chinese. The next one is at the Police Sports & Recreation Club Art Room on March 15 from 8.45 am to 12.30 pm. Participants are requested to arrive 15 minutes before the programme starts. Thirty places for each session will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. To make a reservation contact PSG at 2866-6207.

Seek advice and help from the Psychological Services Group:

PHQ, Hong Kong Island and Marine: 2866-6206 (5/F, 111 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay); Kowloon and the New Territories: 2735-3739 (22/F, Ocean Building, 80 Shanghai Street, Kowloon). PEN: psg@police.gov.hk