Analysis

FEATURE: In the wake of the cyberattack on Marks & Spencer – one of several targeting British retailers in recent months – Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the lesson that can be learned, and how organisations in both the private and public sector will need to move towards new forms of mitigating risk and ensuring resilience to protect against similar threats in the future.

FEATURE: A new report from Europol exploring “biometric vulnerabilities” and the need to protect against potential exploitation by criminals has called on law enforcement agencies to work with experts in biometrics and cybersecurity from the private sector to safeguard biometric systems, as well as increasing data sharing around potential attacks to stay “on the front foot” in the battle with criminal actors, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Plan launched by the Peel Police Service Board, which includes measures around new recruitment approaches, cultural competency training, and strengthening community relationships, aims to make Peel Regional Police “the most progressive, innovative and inclusive police service in Canada”, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Following some high-profile cases of police-perpetrated domestic abuse (PPDA) in the UK, there are growing concerns over the reporting of such offences and appropriate policing responses; drawing on research into an advocacy support intervention for victim-survivors of PPDA, Dr Clare Rawdin, Dr Sarah Wallace and Professor Emma Williams show how ‘organisational silence’ over PPDA is often maintained but can also be challenged.

ANALYSIS: Organised crime groups are defrauding consumers and retail businesses across the US of millions out of dollars through gift card fraud – a crime largely overlooked in many other countries, but which former Deputy Assistant Director for the US Department of Homeland Security Raul Aguilar believes will soon be affecting Australia, New Zealand and the UK, as he told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

INNOVATION: Police forces across England and Wales have been urged by Chief Constable Rob Carden, Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Digital, Data and Technology Co-ordination Committee, to “embrace technology in a way we’ve never done before”, to ensure they can play their part in delivering the Government’s “very ambitious” Safer Streets Mission, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

ANALYSIS: Operation Soteria has been described as a ‘game changer’ for the police investigation of rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) in England and Wales, with the development of a new national operating model (NOM) for RASSO one of the key outcomes; in this article Professor Bernard Burnes, Dr Linda Cooper, and Dr Clare Rawdin – members of the change team for ‘Pillar 4’ (learning development and officer wellbeing) of Op Soteria – share some of the findings and insights from their work on the project.

ANALYSIS: A recent case at the Supreme Court in New Zealand saw the conviction of a man for aggravated burglary overturned because the photo used to identify him – taken by a police officer during a routine traffic stop – was improperly obtained; University of Auckland Senior Law Lecturer Dr Alexandra Allen-Franks explains the reasoning behind the judgment, and what it may mean for policing in the future.

FEATURE: A report commissioned by the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and published earlier this month highlights an increasing number of potential modern slavery victims who are refusing to consent to a referral by first responders to the National Referral Mechanism; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at why more people are choosing alternative avenues for support, and what the report’s authors say should be done to address the problem.

ANALYSIS: Last week saw the publication of the landscape review on the police response to online and technology-enabled VAWG in England and Wales, undertaken by the Centre for Protecting Women Online; independent policing and technology expert Giles Herdale, one of the three co-authors of the review, explains the key questions the work addressed, its findings, and what they mean for policing and the Government’s commitment to halve violence against women and girls over the next 10 years.

ANALYSIS: A new report assessing the impact of drug-related serious and organised crime in the Netherlands has highlighted concerns around poly-drug production and trafficking by gangs, the growing collaboration between criminal networks, and the increase in production of new psychoactive substances destined both for Dutch users and those in the UK wider Europe, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A review of the use of body-worn video by New South Wales Police, carried out by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission, is calling for the activation of cameras to be mandatory rather than discretionary as is currently the case in some situations, with the force also urged to ensure standard operating instructions are clear and consistent to provide more clarity both for officers and complainants, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: New research commissioned by the UK Home Office into drug-related law enforcement activities suggests that far from reducing violence, many policing interventions can drive further violent crime, with more “passive” interventions such as greater police presence and building community trust likely to have more effective outcomes, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Collaborative research by the University of Portsmouth and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) Portfolio has explored equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in SOC roles; the University’s Professor Sarah Charman, Dr Geoff Newiss, Dr Jemma Tyson and Dr Alejandra De La Fuente Vilar, and T/Det Chief Supt Paul Wells of the NPCC SOC portfolio, explain the findings and set out priorities to improve EDI.

FEATURE: This year’s Cityforum Transforming Police Public Contact event, supported by Policing Insight as media partner, saw experts from across the sector discuss key issues around contact management; in this article – a shortened version of the full report from the event – Dr Rick Muir, Policing Advisor to the Home Secretary, looks at some of the debates from the day, including the strategic challenges, potential quick wins, and how the discussion has broadened to consider ways police-public interaction can improve trust and confidence.

FEATURE: At a time when scrutiny of policing has never been greater, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the work of the European PRECRISIS initiative to tackle insider threats, and how this impacts and influences the vetting and ongoing insider risk safeguarding of police officers and staff.

OPINION: With Canadian homicide rates increasing by 50% over the past 10 years, Carleton University PhD candidate Jeffrey Bradley and Professor Irvin Waller of the University of Ottawa argue that to reverse the trend, newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney will need to follow successful examples from the UK and US and invest significantly in crime prevention and youth outreach programmes.

FEATURE: A new report on county lines, policing and vulnerability, published by the Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre, has highlighted the “postcode lottery” of UK policing approaches and outcomes in relation to viewing young people and vulnerable adults as victims of criminal exploitation, and called for more training, a new national policing strategy on exploitation, and a rethink over the use of the term ‘county lines’, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

FEATURE: A review of public order policing in Ireland published by the Garda Síochána Policing Authority (now the Policing and Community Safety Authority) has highlighted a shortage of officers and training, outdated policies, the need for more support for the frontline from managers, and inconsistency and lack of understanding among senior operational ranks about the role of public order policing, as key concerns that need to be addressed, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: With geopolitical changes potentially placing considerable financial pressures on the UN, its role in fighting international organised crime is also under threat; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the current challenges in countering organised crime globally, and what steps could be taken to address the issues.

FEATURE: A new report into artificial intelligence (AI) and online crime, published by the Alan Turing Institute, has warned that UK policing needs to “get serious” about the threat posed by AI or risk a rapidly escalating problem, with calls for a new taskforce to be based in the National Crime Agency to work with national security and industry partners to tackle the threat, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: Following last month’s Royal Assent of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 – known as Martyn’s Law – Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the background to the new legislation and the key measures it will include, as well as highlighting the long delays in bringing the much-needed new powers into play.

FEATURE: New research exploring the impact of a police-sent, low-cost text message ‘nudge’ reminding Class A drugs offenders to attend a mandatory drug assessment has highlighted the increased chances of helping offenders to “make it through the door” towards treatment, improving compliance and potentially reducing recidivism and offending, reports Policing Insight’s Keith Potter.

OPINION: Victoria’s Supreme Court recently decided to keep Abdul Nacer Benbrika – Australia’s most notorious terrorist – under an extended supervision order, after police surveillance highlighted his continuing radical intent; but the lack of coverage of the case has prompted warnings from Dr John Coyne, Henry Campbell and Justin Bassi of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), who argue that such successes should help to reassure the public that Australia’s counter-terrorism policy is working well.