Latest News, Analysis and Opinion

OPINION: Despite an increasing number of police leadership training programmes, forces and agencies face record officer attrition, collapsing recruitment pipelines, and a workforce that cites its own chain of command as the primary reason for leaving, says former officer and now public safety consultant Tim Kucerovy, who argues that tackling the ‘Promise Gap’ – the difference between what leadership says and what leadership does – is key to addressing attrition, culture, and community trust.

OPINION: The recently published report of the Police Leadership Commission highlights a range of key challenges for the service in England and Wales, explains Commission Co-chair and former home secretary David Blunkett, with “devastating” findings in relation to the recruitment, training and development, promotion, monitoring and appraisal of police officers among the issues addressed within the report’s 27 recommendations.

OPINION: The National Intelligence Model (NIM), launched in the UK more than 20 years ago, was a “quiet revolution” in policing; former Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Superintendent Marcus Barnett, a senior adviser at Larsen Consultancy which has been working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council on the reinvestment, relaunch and refocus of the NIM, believes that the renewed model could define the next generation of British policing.

OPINION: AI is playing an increasing role in law enforcement, particular in areas of policing that require the interrogation of vast amounts of unstructured data; Dave Marcos, Senior Director of Responsible AI and Technology Stewardship at Motorola Solutions, believes the AI also has a vital role to play in ensuring both officers and the public can trust its output, by leaving a “digital footprint” of its recommendations and/or actions that a trained officer can review.

FEATURE: A new study highlights the range of both organisational and operational stressors that are having a damaging psychological impact on UK senior investigating officers, with researchers warning that unless forces embark on a process of significant reform of structures, some of these challenges will become “terminal”, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Sextortion is a form of image-based abuse that is increasing around the world, with greater access to easy-to-use AI tools exacerbating the problem; new research by RMIT University Professor Nicola Henry, PhD candidate Alana Ray, and criminologist and Research Assistant Gemma Stevens reveals not only the scale of offending, but also the steps that need to be taken – including new laws and regulations, prevention education and improved police responses – to address a complex challenge.

FEATURE: The delays experienced by non-EU nationals at ports and airports due in part to the new Entry/Exit System have made headlines in the UK and abroad, but the system is the latest measure in efforts to provide accurate information about a whole range of potential security threats, says Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth, with a culture of collaboration and co-operation across member states and associated countries a key foundation of the approach.

ANALYSIS: This week saw the publication of the Police Leadership Commission’s much anticipated report; in an exclusive article for Policing Insight, Open University Emeritus Professor Jean Hartley, one of the Commissioners who took a leading role in gathering evidence for this “root and branch analysis” of police leadership in England and Wales, highlights some of the report’s key findings and recommendations.

EVENT INSIGHT: Policing Insight’s Police Digital Experience Survey offers “qualitative, independent data and evidence” that poor digital, data and technology (DDaT) provision are driving officers and staff out of policing, according to one stakeholder at last month’s panel discussion event, while another confirmed senior officers will view the survey findings as a “call to action” to ensure improvements are made to DDaT that will enable officers and staff to better protect the public, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

OPINION: Following the publication of the report and recommendations of the Police Leadership Commission this week, Supt Nick Smart, President of the Police Superintendents’ Association, highlights the continuing need for a definition of the policing mission in England and Wales, as well as some of the measures required to address the gaps in officer development, the move towards a learning culture, the importance of ensuring reforms are mandated, and the ongoing challenges around inadequate funding.

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.

FEATURE: Research recently published by domestic abuse and violence against women, girls and children (VAWG/C) specialist Judith Vickress, founder of community interest company RiTA (Rural Initiatives Tackling Abuse), is calling for policymakers and agencies to recognise the “paradox of community” that often means rural domestic violence is "invisible", and to ensure a co-ordinated approach that structures responses around rural reality is incorporated into efforts to tackle VAWG/C, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Many police leaders are keen to improve diversity and representation within their workforce, but such ambitions should not undermine the credibility of appointments nor lead to a false choice between diversity and standards, argues Dr Robin Shusko, Chief of Campus Police at Frederick Community College in Maryland, who draws on her own experiences as well as efforts in Australia and the UK to define steps leaders can take to ensure they select from the widest pool of applicants, and make choices that withstand scrutiny.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Dr Chris Allen spoke to Graham Honey, a former HMCE and HMRC officer who specialised in investigating organised crime, drug trafficking, and money laundering, about the many high-profile operations he was involved in, why so many structural changes in the fight against organised crime have been ineffective, and the main organised crime challenges of the future.

ANALYSIS: New South Wales (NSW) Police is facing a $1.75 billion psychological injury bill and a co-responder mental health programme known as PACER that operates in only 12 of 57 area commands almost a decade after its first pilot within the force; strategy and reform consultant Kavitha Vipulananda compares the police approach in NSW with co-responder models in other Australian states and asks what it would take to scale a programme that works.

FEATURE: Research from the University of Cambridge Institute of Criminology highlights the importance of understanding where young people sit within “networks” of offenders and victims, as some “super-connected” teenagers have a significant impact on patterns of violence; the study suggests approaches to tackling offending based on network connections and characteristics rather than individual circumstances and character traits could lead to more effective outcomes, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: The introduction of the Policing Education Qualifications Framework was the first major change to police training in England and Wales for many years, but the emphasis remained largely on developing officers once they had already joined the service, and while trying to juggle the burdens of being a fully sworn officer; Tom Andrews, Senior Lecturer in Policing at the University of Derby, argues it’s time for policing to adopt the ‘pre-join’ qualifications focus of other professions, and revolutionise training for the service.

FEATURE: Police forces across Australia and New Zealand are being urged to share data, innovations and best practice in the fight against child sexual abuse, to improve outcomes for victims, prioritise prevention and increase support for the workforce, as part of a new strategy unveiled by the Australia New Zealand Police Advisory Agency, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

ANALYSIS: Investigative interviewing is a cornerstone of obtaining information in criminal cases, and police forces are being encouraged to make greater use of AI in that process; but Dr Brandon May, Assistant Professor of Forensic Psychology at Florida Institute of Technology, and University of Portsmouth Professor Becky Milne, warn that while there are aspects of investigative interviewing where AI could be helpful, its use needs to be consistent with the scientific standards that ensure evidence is robust.

INNOVATION: The increased potential for the misuse of drone to threaten public safety has long been recognised; the range of measures introduced by the United States – both in terms of counter-drone technology, training, and new legislation – to protect fans and teams at this year’s World Cup offer lessons for nations around the world, and will be further developed to amplify protective measures for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

ANALYSIS: The Right Care, Right Person policy to reduce police involvement with those suffering from mental health issues was introduced with promises to save officers’ time; but coroners continue to raise concerns about its impact on the vulnerable, writes Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass.

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: Sex work liaison officers (SWLOs) exist in fewer than one in four forces in England and Wales, but a new study evaluating approaches to violence against sex workers in Gwent highlights the “transformative” nature of the role; University of the West of England Assistant Professor Duncan McPhee, who led the team carrying out the research, spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about how SWLOs can restore the “trust deficit” between police and sex workers, and why the role should be formalised across forces.

OPINION: Safer Schools Officers (SSOs) are now a common feature of policing in England and Wales, supporting efforts for early intervention, multi-agency working and child-centred practice; but Dr Sean Bell of the Open University and Jay Karecha of Liverpool John Moores University highlight that with the evaluation of the effectiveness of SSOs fragmented, and the role itself poorly defined, there is a clear need for a stronger and more consistent evidence base, and more honesty about what is known and what is assumed.