Latest News, Analysis and Opinion

FEATURE: A report examining the findings from six multi-agency joint targeted area inspections into the response to serious youth violence has highlighted policing inconsistencies as well as wider multi-agency safeguarding failings that are putting youngsters at risk of harm, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Recent reports of a rise in violent offences in Scotland against an apparent backdrop of record low crime rates support the suggestion that the country’s real crime figures are much higher than acknowledged, argues former Police Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher, and – added to inefficiencies in the courts, falling officer numbers and an overflowing prison estate – could see the problems facing the Scottish criminal justice system turn into a crisis.

FEATURE: Dr Usman A. Ojedokun, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, explores some of the context and contributing factors to the continuing problem of police impersonation in Nigeria, the impact it has on both the community and the Nigeria Police Force, and what steps can be taken to tackle the issue.

FEATURE: A new report on future trends in online fraud, part of a research project carried out by Crest Advisory, the Police Foundation and the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research at Birkbeck, University of London, warns that the growing use of artificial intelligence could trigger an “arms race” between criminals and law enforcement, and calls for a shift from reactive to anticipatory strategies to tackle online fraud, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: In the wake of the jihadist terror attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth examines the concept of ‘leaderless jihad’ and explores the ongoing risk to countries in Europe (and further afield) highlighted by the recent European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report.

ANALYSIS: The use of wearable technology to monitor health and wellbeing continues to expand significantly; Dr Carol Cox, Head of the Liverpool Centre of Advanced Policing Studies at Liverpool John Moore’s University, is leading a research team from the Centre in its work on the police use of such technology, and explains the challenges and benefits identified to date, as well as early indications from the latest study due to be released in April.

INTERVIEW: Staffordshire Assistant Chief Constable Becky Riggs, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for child protection and abuse investigation, spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the need for a public protection gold command accreditation to ensure senior leaders are well versed in the importance of multi-agency working and data sharing in ensuring the safety of children and young people.

LATEST RESEARCH: This summary curates the key policing-related research that's been published online in the last week, with links to the original journal articles, and selected abstracts.

INTERVIEW: College of Policing interim Deputy CEO Jo Noakes tells Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass about possible major changes to the promotion process for sergeants and inspectors in England and Wales, and why the “emotive” and “personal” issue of workforce reform needs to be carefully handled.

INNOVATION: The UK’s first team dedicated to investigating crimes committed by registered sex offenders, launched by Greater Manchester Police initially as a pilot project more than two years ago, has now hit a 90% solved outcome rate for investigations, and has become a permanent part of the force structure, as unit head DI Marc Baker told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: In the second of a two-part article on the police analyst profession, intelligence analysts specialists Dr Scott Keay, Keith Jackson and Steve French examine the findings from a survey by the Association of Crime and Intelligence Analysts (ACIA) about improving the analyst role and how such organisations can support the continuous professional development of analysts.

INNOVATION: New technology is being used to help police and local authorities improve road safety, with AI-enabled cameras identifying bad driving on roads in Devon and Cornwall, and extensive harsh-breaking data helping local authorities to predict potential collision blackspots, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: Delegates at the recent Senior Women in Policing conference had the opportunity to identify challenges female officers are likely to face over the next 25 years, with discussions leading to the creation of a Gender Equality Futures Playbook that forces can use to include in their forward planning, as Sarah-Jayne Bray, Development Officer with the Thames Valley Women’s Network, explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: The latest National Cyber Threat Assessment for Canada highlights the increasing cybercrime risk posed by state actors such as China, Russia and Iran, as well as the growing prevalence of criminals using the cybercrime-as-a-service business model, with ransomware signposted as the top cybercrime threat facing the country’s critical infrastructure, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

OPINION: In this first of a two-part article on the police analyst profession, intelligence analyst specialists Dr Scott Keay, Keith Jackson and Steve French explore the journey of the analyst role over the last 25 years, look at the barriers and challenges that have impacted on that role, and also consider the positive value that good analysis can have.

FEATURE: Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about Operation Voice, a pilot initiative launched within the force which overlaid road traffic data onto data for violence against women and girls to identify and apply “relentless pressure” to high-harm perpetrators.

LATEST RESEARCH: This summary curates the key policing-related research that's been published online in the last week, with links to the original journal articles, and selected abstracts.

INNOVATION: In the latest in a series of articles exploring the opportunities and challenges presented to police by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), Chief Philip Lukens explores the potential of artificial general intelligence (AGI) to deliver significant benefits – and the measures that need to be taken to avoid the risks associated with autonomous decision-making.

FEATURE: As law enforcement around the world embarks on meeting the challenges of 2025, Editor Keith Potter looks back over the key issues Policing Insight covered in 2024 – from technological threats and opportunities, to workforce wellbeing, the role of leadership, and the increasing focus on reform – and how these may affect the next 12 months.

OPINION: Knives are the murder weapon of choice within the UK, with the level of knife crime doubling in the 2010s; but while legislation and media headlines have focused on machetes and so-called zombie knives, University of Leeds Professors Graham Farrell and Toby Davies argue that phasing out pointed kitchen knives – used in more than half of murders – would be a much more effective measure.

ANALYSIS: A new report from the Centre for Social Justice is calling on the UK Government to rethink its drug policy and focus on an approach which integrates law enforcement, public health and community support to tackle a crisis of “unprecedented proportions”; but the report also warns that experiences in other countries suggest legalisation is not the answer, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: The Chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce – the organisation now consisting of 15 law enforcement agencies tackling online child sexual exploitation – passed from the UK’s National Crime Agency to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in November; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to AFP Commander Helen Schneider about the goals for the Taskforce over the next three years, and why identifying AI deepfakes and protecting the wellbeing of police investigators will be among the priorities.

FEATURE: The Director General of MI5 recently confirmed that his agency’s counter-terrorism focus would have to be reduced to deal with “much more aggression” from state actors; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the nature of the security threat posed by state actors, and the vital role that policing has to play in combatting that threat.

New Year Honours: We are pleased to publish and recognise the policing and public safety recipients of the UK and New Zealand 2025 New Year Honours. The team at Policing Insight offer our congratulations and thank all the recipients for their service.