Latest News, Analysis and Opinion

INTERVIEW: In this second part of his interview with Policing Insight, Stephen Russell, former Director of Data, Strategy & Technology at Warwickshire Police, shares his thoughts on the technology potential within the Government’s police reform proposals for England and Wales, why improved data and interoperability are just as important as AI, and some of the aims and ambitions for policing over the next five years.

OPINION: The ambitious proposals for structural change set out in the Government’s police reform white paper will see transformation on a huge scale, affecting 43 forces across England and Wales as well as the NCA, ROCUs, CT policing, and multiple national units; Martin Leven, who as CIO of the Scottish Police Services Authority led the tech strategy for the merger of eight forces to create Police Scotland, highlights some of the key lessons from that process, and the steps that can be taken to avoid the main pitfalls.

FEATURE: In the latest in The Police Student series focusing on Community and Neighbourhood Policing, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the challenges and various perspectives around policing’s role in building and developing the concept of ‘social capital’.

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 second of three articles exploring data-driven policing and AI, Wilfrid Laurier University Assistant Professor Dr Oliver R Stoetzer and Professor James Robertson explore the need to address the skills gap around the growing use of AI and digital technology in policing, and the emergence of the ‘phygital officer’ – a law enforcement professional successfully able to integrate physical investigative skills with digital, cyber, and AI literacy – and the competency framework needed to develop those officers.

FEATURE: New research by Monash University into the routine arming of officers highlights that the view that “more guns on belts inevitably lead to more people being shot” is not borne out by the evidence – with officer-involved shootings actually falling in some instances – provided that the move to the mandatory carrying of firearms is accompanied by a suitable transition period, the right training, and effective de-escalation protocols, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons

OPINION: Adopting a ‘backcasting’ approach to the challenge of tackling the illicit financial flows driving organised crime, De Montford University Visiting Fellow Dr Chris Allen envisages Project Artemis, a partnership model that would see private-sector specialist financial investigators deployed as ‘financial bounty hunters’ to target the funds and assets of organised criminal businesses.

OPINION: The traditional method of disrupting organised crime groups – target the leadership and the organisation collapses – is not the most effective, says organisational psychologist Michael Stephenson, who explores how social network analysis combined with tools including the NCA menu of tactics and the NPCC Serious and Organised Crime Local Policing Framework can deliver more successful outcomes, illustrated by Greater Manchester Police’s targeting of the Adam organised crime group.

FEATURE: A new paper from the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe, which draws on themes highlighted during a series of recent roundtables on police use of new and emerging technologies, warns that law enforcement needs to recognise digital transformation as a “necessity” that will also require a culture shift away from risk aversion, the safeguarding of human rights, and a focus on improving data if forces are to maximise the technology potential, reports Policing Insight’s Keith Potter.

OPINION: London’s response to group-based child sexual exploitation should focus on improving evidence, identification, and protection for all victims rather than fixating on offender ethnicity, argues University of Bristol Professor of Criminology Aisha K. Gill, Head of the Centre for Gender and Violence Research and Co-Editor of the Journal of Gender Based Violence.

FEATURE: With online platforms, smart devices and digital tools offering unprecedented opportunities for the criminal networks involved in human trafficking, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at collaborative efforts by European countries to improve the intelligence picture and strengthen the fight against people trafficking through more effective use of technology, better understanding, awareness raising, and improved training.

INTERVIEW: Warwickshire Police topped the overall satisfaction benchmarking process in the recent Policing Insight UK Digital Experience Survey; in the first half of a two-part interview, Stephen Russell, who spent eight years leading the force’s progress in technology, digital and data, spoke to Policing Insight’s Keith Potter about the drivers for technological change within the force, the importance of the end-user experience, and the need to prioritise investment in IT as the main “force multiplier”.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: From 6–9 September 2026, the University of Leeds will host LEPH2026, the 8th International Conference on Law Enforcement & Public Health. Bringing together global experts across policing, public health, research and policy, the event provides a unique platform to explore vulnerability and shape forward‑thinking, evidence‑based approaches.

FEATURE: A new report into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within policing is warning of a growing gap between the technical capability of AI and the governance rules needed for its legitimate and responsible use, as well as “performative” human-in-the-loop concepts that exist “in name only”, and the risks of errors that creep into systems being left uncorrected and multiplying in significance as more use cases are connected, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: While public debate around the recent Police Leadership Commission report focuses on proposals such as the National Academy of Police Leadership and new promotion pathways, The Open University’s Professor Clifford Stott, ACC Nick Caveney, Dr Jennifer Norman, and Dr Iain Raphael, argue that the report’s key contribution is on the issue of whether policing has the institutional capability to deliver and sustain the scale of change envisaged by both the Commission and the wider reform programme.

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.

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.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Team Wendy injects world-leading traumatic brain injury research into world-class head protection systems for law enforcement teams in the line of fire.

FEATURE: As police forces in many parts of the world struggle with workforce attrition and difficulties around officer recruitment and retention, a new study by Liverpool John Moores University and Western Sydney University highlights the potential for policing to leverage the potential of anonymous online workplace reviews to better identify factors that have driven officers to leave law enforcement, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

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.