INNOVATION: A portal developed in Humberside that allows victims to contact officers in charge of their case for updates rather than tie-up call handlers on force phone lines is also helping to provide a better service, according to those behind the plan; Ian Weinfass spoke to Humberside Police’s Scot Dunn and senior responsible officer for the NPCC’s digital public contact programme, DCC Simon Megicks, about the award-winning initiative.

ANALYSIS: Police in England and Wales have, for the first time, collected and published detailed information gleaned from crime reports about child sex abuse and exploitation (CSAE) carried out by networks or groups, in a bid to put resources in the right areas and challenge assumptions with data along the way, as Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass reports.

FEATURE: A 27-year-old paedophile was creating cartoonish pseudo child abuse images and distributing them among an online network; Detective Chief Inspector Jen Tattersall from Greater Manchester Police’s online child abuse investigations team tells Ian Weinfass how the force managed to bring a case against the offender, and safeguard real children at risk.

FEATURE: Four months on from violence and disorder across towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland, what caused them – and whether law enforcement is equipped to stop them taking place again in the future – is still a matter for debate; Ian Weinfass reports on discussions about these issues from the recent APCC-NPCC Partnership Summit.

FEATURE: Senior police leaders in England and Wales are drafting guidance on governance for the hundreds of staff networks for the first time, but their efforts to establish a consistent framework have already drawn criticism from some groups, and the potential of a legal challenge, as Ian Weinfass reports.

INTERVIEW: Alex Finn, the National Police Chiefs’ Council digital youth engagement lead, spoke to Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass about a UK project to engage young people on social media, and why he thinks it should be rolled out further.

ANALYSIS: New research has revealed the extent to which relatives of serving personnel carry the burdens of their loved ones’ public service; Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass reports on the findings of the Open University researchers, whose work was commissioned by Oscar Kilo, the College of Policing’s National Wellbeing Service.

FEATURE: This month’s National Black Police Association Conference heard that Whitehall is engaging with the Police Race Action Plan for the first time, and that HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services could inspect against its outcomes, but that it does not have the backing of the UK’s main staff association for minority ethnic officers and staff, as Ian Weinfass reports.

INNOVATION: Social media contacts with police forces soared during the disorder in England and Northern Ireland in the summer of 2024; Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass looks at the role digi desks played during the crisis, and examines how useful they are for day-to-day operations.

FEATURE: Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass examines the proliferation of law enforcement across the UK, Australia, the US and Canada preparing to send UAVs out to view incidents before personnel can reach them on the ground, and examines the advantages and criticisms of the approach.

ANALYSIS: New research by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) based on interviews with more than 40 investigators across five forces in England and Wales has highlighted the lack of experience and mentoring, high workload, and unequal rewards facing detectives, leaving officers frustrated and victims receiving a poorer service, as LJMU Research Director Dr Adrian James told Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass.

ANALYSIS: Fraud makes up nearly 40% of all crime in England and Wales, but fewer than 1% of cases result in a conviction. With the National Fraud Strategy more than a year old and a new government in place at Westminster, Ian Weinfass spoke to experts to find out whether it is time for action against fraudsters to be stepped up.

INTERVIEW: After the launch of the first Police Race Action Plan Progress Report, Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to Programme Director, Temporary Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dr Alison Heydari, about losing the support of a key staff association, institutional racism, and the future of the race action plan in the face of funding uncertainties.

INTERVIEW: With less than nine months until funding for the national programme to improve outcomes for Black people interacting with and working in policing in England and Wales comes to an end, Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to Abimbola Johnson, chair of its Independent Scrutiny & Oversight Board, about its “glacial” progress and future prospects.

FEATURE: From fraud to CSE to radicalisation, generative artificial intelligence is already changing criminal operations; experts at the recent UCL International Crime Science Conference discussed what changes that are “faster than the industrial revolution” mean now and for the future, and debated ways to uphold public safety, as Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass reports.

ANALYSIS: Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, the National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), has expressed concerns at the “huge shortfall” in wider public sector efforts to combat VAWG in the UK due to a lack of response from government and the Policing Minister over approach, Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass can reveal.

ANALYSIS: As a counter-corruption reporting service is expanded across the UK, Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass examines whether it will be effective and asks what else is needed to win back public trust.

FEATURE: Chief constables in England and Wales are planning a strategy to promote policing history and say it will link to the National Police Race Action Plan and their work to prevent violence against women and girls; Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to national lead on police heritage Peter Gillett and other experts to explore the issue.

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.

INTERVIEW: Former national police lead for child protection Simon Bailey tells Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass how technological advances and chief executives focusing on profit are making it harder to keep young people safe online, and why he has founded the Excellence in Online Protection Awards to honour those working in the field.

FEATURE: A scheme in Thames Valley is helping to improve outcomes for young people with a parent in prison; Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to Sgt Russ Massie to find out how it works, how other areas could emulate it, and if police really are the best agency to work on it.

ANALYSIS: Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass reveals how many candidates have applied for each of the top jobs in policing in England and Wales over the past three years, and finds out what the likes of HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Chair Donna Jones and others believe this shows about the state of the process.

INTERVIEW: In 2020, as Leicestershire Police prepared to greatly increase its officer numbers as part of the Uplift recruitment programme, leaders within the force set about trying to change attitudes, consideration of and delivery of training through the creation of the Team Leicestershire Academy; Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to its head Sarah Taylor, and Chief Constable Rob Nixon, about the force’s new methods.

INTERVIEW: Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, Craig Naylor, about how he approaches his role at the inspectorate, the challenges in Police Scotland as it turns 10 years old, and the similarities and differences with policing and the inspectorate in England and Wales.