Abstract:
The intelligence units play important roles in maintaining national security. Despite of it importance
in the national little or no research have been conducted to assess the challenges it faces in its
operations in the context of Tanzania. It was therefore important for this study's to address the
literature gap and assess the role of intelligence units, investigate the intelligence unit's
achievements, and the challenges facing the intelligence unit in the Tanzania Police Force in
performing its operations. It was crucial to conduct this research to inform the policymakers and
security personnel about the challenges in sustaining the country's peace and security. The
researcher used a case study, mixed method approach where Tanzania Police Force, in Arusha
Region, was the population of study. Questionnaire and interviews were used as a primary source
of data collection. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 software and other qualitative
methodologies. Different data concerning the study's objective were collected to obtain a specific
answer. The outcome shows that the challenges of the intelligence unit are a lack of funds for
Criminal Intelligence (CIF), outdated or no intelligence collection and storage devices, means of
official transportation when in operation, and few personnel. According to the contemporary
understanding of security, there is no option other than investing heavily in intelligence to take
preventative action. The researcher recommends that if the state can invest in an intelligence unit,
it can be easy to move quickly to take charge of the inquiry if a particular offence can occur
because of intelligence failure.
