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1. Introduction
Knowledge has been recognized as an important source of competitive advantage and value creation ([22] King and Zeithaml, 2003). The concept of knowledge within knowledge management can be seen as both an object and a process. Knowledge as an object is active information which can be acted upon to generate value, whereas knowledge as a process involves the identification, dissemination and organization of this knowledge to generate value in the achievement of the organization's objectives ([25] Luen and Al-Hawamdeh, 2001). Knowledge management describes the strategies and processes of acquiring, converting, applying, and protecting knowledge to improve a firm's competitiveness ([24] Lin and Lee, 2006). The growing importance of knowledge as a critical resource has encouraged all organizations in the public sector and private sector to pay greater attention to knowledge management and large organizations around the world have implemented knowledge management strategies, policies, and programs. According to [8] Butler et al. (2008), the importance of KM to the public sector is indicated by the European Commission's Information Society initiative which argues that:
Organizational innovation and the emergence of knowledge-enhanced e-Government will lead to better and more efficient services and the empowerment of the civil servant in his/her task, supporting complex decision making and collaboration (pp. 249-250).
[33] Riege and Lindsay (2006), in their study of knowledge management in the public sector, suggest four reasons why knowledge management is receiving increased attention:
to drive efficiencies;
to develop new outdated systems to improve the overall performance and easier accessible knowledge base;
to improve accountability and to mitigate risk by making informed decisions and resolving issues faster; and
to deliver better and more cost-effective services and a higher level of responsiveness to the public and, thereby to demonstrate the responsible use of taxpayer's money.
Knowledge management is thus a natural solution for improving operations and enhancing customer service.
Police forces are part of the public sector and the primary mission of any police force in the world is to protect life and property, preserve law and order, and prevent and detect crime ([25] Luen and Al-Hawamdeh, 2001). Accordingly, the management of intelligence and knowledge is a crucial aspect of the work of policing, and police forces need to be proactive in managing both explicit and implicit...