It is not clear to me that Reverend Hale really does have any special insight into witchcraft even though he has been called to Salem especially to find out if there is any witchcraft happening there.
What we know of Hale's insight comes from Miller's narrative just before Hale is introduced to the action. We are told that Hale has studied witchcraft and the supernatural a great deal. So he at least has book knowledge about the subject. However, he has never actually dealt with an example of witchcraft because he has only ever investigated one case. In that case, he decided the suspect was not a witch.
From what we see in Hale's early dealings with the Proctors, he believes that someone might be a witch if they don't go to church enough or if they don't know all the commandments.
Later on, Hale realizes that there is no witchcraft in Salem, but he is not strong enough to do anything to stop the trials.
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