FEATURE: Following the statement by Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone that the force is “institutionally racist and discriminatory”, a new report finds that the culture in Scotland’s single force is plagued by misogyny and sexism – with female staff paying the price, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

ANALYSIS: A new study from the University of Nottingham presents a highly critical view of how the police detain under-18s in custody across England and Wales; the researchers call for a ‘Child First’ approach that sees detention used only as a last resort, and halves the time children can be held by police, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

RESEARCH: A new landmark academic study presents a definitive assessment of the performance of multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA), measures that monitor around 88,000 offenders in England and Wales; Dr Natalie Mann, who led the study, spoke to Policing Insight’s James Sweetland about the striking findings provided by the research, the professional messages it sends, and a personal motivation behind the work.

FEATURE: With the new Forensic Science Code of Practice coming into force later this year, policing has a chance to boost standards across its forensics functions; but as a panel at the recent Digital Forensic Forum argued, meeting these stringent requirements is only possible if policing leaders are willing to step up their interest in forensics and push for cultural change, reports Policing Insight’s James Sweetland.

FEATURE: New research from the Australian Institute of Criminology presents shocking findings on the level of domestic violence among members of outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs); with higher rates of violence and lower conviction rates, it’s a complex challenge for police officers in New South Wales to solve, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: The new National Fraud Strategy has been welcomed by many, especially as the last full national plan expired back in 2011; but alongside the resources the new strategy provides – including 400 investigators and a new reporting service – it comes with a tough target to cut fraud offences by 10% in just over two years, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

INTERVIEW: Policing has long struggled to deliver digital transformation programmes, especially those seeking to replace major pieces of legacy IT; but with COVID-19 adding fresh impetus to the digital agenda and the national strategy set for a ‘refresh’, Ian Bell, CEO of the Police Digital Service, sees exciting opportunities on the horizon, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

LONG READ: Humberside Police’s Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) initiative has transformed how the force handles mental health incidents, freeing up officers to focus on fighting crime – and with RCRP set to roll out nationwide, policing’s approach to these incidents is about to change significantly; but there’s a more complex story to tell about policing’s role in mental health work, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: Facial recognition technology is often criticised for its purported disproportionality, with police use of this tool already banned in some parts of the world; but a new academic study – hailed by the Met and South Wales Police – challenges this narrative, arguing that British policing is deploying live facial recognition tech that is effective and avoids the problem of disproportionality, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

INNOVATION: A new set of simple digital tools used to arrange police interviews and organise officer appearances in court are now being rolled out to forces across England and Wales by the Police Digital Service; although still in the early stages, it’s been estimated that the Video Enabled Policing programme could save more than £60m a year and free officers up to handle more complex tasks, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: Sexual harassment and sexual assault are worryingly common features of the night-time economy for many women and girls; now a novel policing tactic being utilised by Thames Valley Police, codenamed Project Vigilant, is seeking to address the problem with a preventative approach that exploits the unique talents of ‘super recognisers’, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: In his latest annual report the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner (BSCC) – who regulates the way police use biometrics in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – challenges how policing is deploying facial recognition; a separate survey by the Office of the BSCC also raises major concerns that policing is “shot through” with Chinese surveillance tech, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: The criminal justice system’s treatment of victims of rape and serious sexual offences has long been recognised as deeply flawed, with policing playing a significant part in this; a new study published by academics from three UK universities raises concerns about the phenomenon of ‘rape myth acceptance’ among those tasked with investigating these serious crimes, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: After the recent bruising inspectorate assessment of digital forensics across England and Wales, the development of a new fingerprint capability – rolling out in the East Midlands from next month – offers a more positive story; this new digital tool, developed through Transforming Forensics, could speed up investigations, improve standards, and show the value of collaboration, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: Terrorist use of the internet – whether to spread propaganda, recruit new members or co-ordinate activity – is a constant game of cat-and-mouse, as the authorities get wise to existing methods and adversaries respond by switching their tactics; Tech Against Terrorism highlight the latest trends in how extremists exploit digital spaces, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: Data obtained from digital devices is now as essential to modern police investigations as DNA evidence or fingerprints; but a recent a report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services presents a damning assessment of how forces in England and Wales are handling digital forensics, and calls for new governance structures and more funding, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: With county lines drug trafficking increasingly recognised and understood across the UK, police still face the conundrum of whether children and young people involved in these crimes should be treated as offenders, victims, or both; Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports on a session from the recent 24hr Conference on Global Organized Crime in which Trilateral Research’s Jana-Isabelle Dilger presented guidance for frontline officers making these tough calls.

ANALYSIS: Police adoption of live facial recognition (LFR) is a controversial topic, with the profound opportunities offered by this technology balanced out by considerable risks. A recent report from Cambridge University’s Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy presents a highly critical view of how the police use LFR. In this article, Policing Insight’s James Sweetland presents both sides of the story.

ANALYSIS: With the ever-increasing volume of online child sexual abuse material, identifying and removing these harmful and often horrific images will require the use of new digital tools; at the recent 24-hour Conference on Global Organized Crime, Jacques Marcoux, Director of Research and Analytics for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, outlined how Project Arachnid is delivering on this task, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.