ANALYSIS: Next week members of the public in England and Wales will have the opportunity to cast their vote for either the police and crime commissioner or mayor who will have responsibility for policing in their region; after the 'blue wave' of 2021, Policing Insight looks at the candidates, the political landscape, and the potential outcomes of this year's elections.

FEATURE: A survey carried out as part of November’s Investigator Wellbeing Week of Action has highlighted the need for improved localised support as well as concerns that seeking help can negatively impact career prospects; Policing Insights Sarah Gibbons spoke to NPCC programme manager Sarah-Jayne Bray and national Investigator Wellbeing lead, Det Ch Supt Martin Brunning, about the findings and what more forces should be doing.

ANALYSIS: When police look to campaign against and raise awareness around knife crime, they often use images of knives and bladed weapons as part of the prevention message; but former police officer and now police trainer Graham Goulden warns that the use of such imagery by policing and other organisations can often have the negative effect of normalising knife-related violence.

ANALYSIS: Next week will see police and crime commissioner, mayoral and local council elections in the UK, with a general election due in the next few months; former police officer Mark Brown, now a policing commentator and associate lecturer at the University of Southampton, looks at the neighbourhood policing proposals being put forward by the two main political parties, and how they could affect frontline delivery.

INNOVATION: In the search to find the ultimate lightweight, flexible yet bullet resistant body armour, scientists are now turning to spider silk; but Manchester Metropolitan University Professor Lloyd Strickland says this apparently cutting-edge approach is nothing new, having first been identified by a pioneering philosopher more than 300 years ago.

ANALYSIS: Most law enforcement agencies now recognise the importance and potential of community policing, but for many the practical application of the concept remains elusive; Policing Insight’s Matthew Wood, a Professor of Public Safety and former Toronto Police Service officer, looks at the key components, tools and behaviours needed to take community policing forward from theory to successful implementation.

ANALYSIS: In the latest in a series of articles exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in policing, Chief Philip Lukens compares the related but distinct fields of biometrics and facial recognition, and explores how biometric technologies can enhance facial recognition systems and improve accuracy and security.

INNOVATION: Student officers at the Akademie der Polizei Hamburg have become the latest to use virtual reality technology to gain a greater insight and understanding of hate crime, following the success of a similar initiative in Greater Manchester Police (GMP); the Akademie is now looking to incorporate VR more widely in its training and hopes to work more closely with GMP, as Professor Dr Eva Groß told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: With police and other emergency services on the front line of responses to major disasters, the potential to reduce risk and improve preparedness offers significant benefits; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the findings and lessons learned from the CORE project, a comparative analysis of major incidents including terrorist attack and natural disasters.

ANALYSIS: In the UK, partners or family members are responsible for nearly half of all female homicides, but there is an increasing rate of statement withdrawal from victims in high-risk domestic abuse cases; the LSE’s Professor Tom Kirchmaier and Dr Ekaterina Oparina highlight the alarming relationship between a police officer’s workload and the rate of withdrawal of statements by victims.

FEATURE: A new report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland has found that low levels of resources are significantly affecting absence levels, work-related stress and job satisfaction for those on the frontline, with little recognition from the force or its leaders about the detrimental effect these shortages coupled with poor facilities are having on officers and staff, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.  

FEATURE: Speaking at a recent Staffordshire University conference, NPCC Chair Chief Constable Gavin Stephens explored policing’s “opportunity for a reset”, why forces must avoid “defensiveness” when confronted about cultural problems, and what an “anti-racist police service” really means, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: New research by Professor Sarah Charman and Dr Jemma Tyson of the University of Portsmouth, based on interviews with officers resigning from forces in England and Wales, suggests that organisational inflexibility remains a key factor in the increasing number of officers – particularly women – leaving the service, with some forces and senior officers only paying “lip service” to the options for flexible working arrangements, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: In 2014, six men from Portsmouth left the city to join ISIS in Syria, prompting a media storm and significant tensions among the city’s communities, and influencing the development of the UK’s Prevent Strategy; University of Portsmouth Policing Lecturer David Knowles, who was the officer responsible for the police response to the incidents and became the national lead for Prevent in education, looks back at the impact on the city and policing, and how those events have shaped Prevent over the past decade.

FEATURE: While TV dramas often showcase police interviewers squeezing information out of suspects, the reality is rather different; speaking at a recent conference Dr Frances Surmon-Böhr, a psychologist and science-based interview expert, explained why the interpersonal skills and rapport-building techniques integral to the ORBIT interviewing model are the real keys to a successful interrogation, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: An evaluation report into the UK Government-funded Grip programme and hot spot policing initiative designed to tackle serious violence has highlighted significant reductions in crime and potential savings, but has also warned that the approach is not a “quick fix” and requires commitment and buy-in from forces and leaders, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: As part of his speech to the recent Milpol Asia-Pacific Conference in Singapore, Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram highlighted the potential that artificial intelligence offers his force and others in detecting and disrupting criminal activities and responding to crises.

FEATURE: There have long been warnings about the criminal and terrorist threat posed by drones, a risk that is increasing with the proliferation of cheap drone technology and the accessibility of explosives; against this backdrop, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the concerns and recommendations regarding the use of drones highlighted in the latest report from the Counter-Terrorism Preparedness Network.

ANALYSIS: With violence reduction units set to be expanded across all of England and Wales, Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to several of those involved in the work to date, asking how we will know when they’ve really been successful and what practitioners in the new areas will need to know.

FEATURE: The latest Assurance Review by the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner has called for stronger governance of biometric data – particularly images – held by the country’s law enforcement agencies, while restating the Commissioner’s opposition to UK Government plans to give police forces access to passport and driving licence images for use with tools such as facial recognition, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: While the Canadian public support efforts to fight crime, Professor Irvin Waller of the University of Ottawa and PhD candidate Jeffrey Bradley of Carleton University argue that current proposals to increase incarceration won’t deliver the desired reductions, and point instead to crime prevention approaches pioneered in Scotland as a more viable option.

INTERVIEW: The New Blue fellowship programme in the US is looking to empower “forward-thinking” front-line officers with the skills, awareness and support to develop innovative solutions around engagement and public trust that can address issues identified in the communities they serve, as programme Executive Director Kristin Daley explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend.

FEATURE: The Environment Agency has launched a new Economic Crime Unit which will work with police and revenue and customs in England to tackle organised waste crime including the dumping, burning and illegal shipping of waste, as well as the operation of illegal waste sites – a market estimated to cost the country £1billion a year, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: As the UK, Europe and the US all prepare for parliamentary elections this year, and with increasing calls for legislation to target hate speech, Policing Insight’s Andy Staniforth looks at the new project using AI-based technologies to equip NGOs, civil service organisations, public authorities and others with the skills and awareness to tackle online hate speech and disinformation.