Civilian Information Networks

Arresting attackers after an attack cannot be deemed a total success, as a crime has already been committed. Sun Tzu states that subduing the enemy without fighting is the supreme art. This article takes a look at the information network from a civilian point of view, which, basic and rudimentary as it may be when compared to State apparatus, when properly conducted, prevents crime and saves lives.

The motive for informants is often monetary. Getting paid for talking might be risky to the health of the informant, thus the need for total secrecy. I remember some years back talking on the phone to an informant in Sesotho, then relaying the information in Afrikaans to a farmer whose sheep