Analysis

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.

OPINION: New figures have revealed that drug-related deaths in England and Wales have reached record levels, with a significant increase in deaths linked to cocaine use among the worrying figures; Ian Hamilton, Honorary Fellow (Associate Professor) at the University of York, and Professor Harry Sumnall of Liverpool John Moores University, explore the possible reasons behind the latest data, and consider what can be done to address the challenges.

FEATURE: As the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), Ireland’s independent policing oversight body, prepares for its transition to the new Fiosrú – Oifig an Ombudsman Póilíneachta, the latest and final GSOC annual report highlights the efforts well underway for a smooth changeover, and the importance of ensuring the Fiosrú has adequate resources – particularly specialist staff – to fulfil its mandate, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: With artificial intelligence (AI) advances hailed widely as a huge opportunity for law enforcement, police now face the challenge of identifying effective AI systems from those that don’t do the job; University of Cambridge PhD candidate Jacob John Verrey, and Chief Inspector Lewis Lincoln-Gordon of the National Police Chiefs’ Council AI Portfolio, argue that adapting and implementing the ‘snake oil filter’ approach used in medicine could offer policing an efficient process for assessing and deploying the right technology.

ANALYSIS: In the second in a two-part series marking the 30th anniversary of the police use of TASER, Policing Insight’s James Sweetland explores the current less-lethal weapons marketplace – dominated in the UK by TASER – and looks at concerns about monopoly supply, whether competition is crucial to driving efficiency and technology, and what the less-lethal alternatives could be, drawing on interviews with NPCC less-lethal weapons lead Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi, Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber, and others.

FEATURE: The latest report on the efforts of police forces in England and Wales to tackle antisocial behaviour has highlighted the need for more consistent resourcing for neighbourhood teams, better training for officers, and the need for improved IT and stronger partnerships to enhance data sharing with other agencies, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: In the second in a series of five articles looking at the big debates in police use of facial recognition (FR) – extracted from this year’s ‘Facing the future: The rise of facial recognition in policing’ report – Policing Insight spoke to senior officers, academics and technical experts to explore concerns around bias and accuracy, a subject central to the facial recognition debate and a common reason for some people’s opposition to police use of this technology.

ANALYSIS: The latest police workforce data for England and Wales shows the roller coaster ride for resources during the 2010 to 2024 Conservative-led governments, with numbers dropping sharply followed by a rapid but partial with the Uplift after 2019; in this last of three articles, Ian Wiggett looks at changing trends in workforce profile across England and Wales, and how this may affect resource management.

OPINION: Forensic science plays a key role in solving crimes as well as overturning wrongful convictions, but recent studies suggest public trust in forensic science is declining for a range of reasons; University of the West of England Forensic Science Lecturer Dr Emmanuel Nsiah Amoako, who is part of a research project examining (dis)trust in forensic science, believes a “collaborative effort” from policing and scientists to listen and address public concerns will be essential if that lost trust is to be regained.

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.

FEATURE: The EU’s Terrorist Content Online Regulation came into effect in June 2022, and included a requirement for media platforms and host service providers (HSPs) to take down terrorist content within an hour of receiving a removal order from a ‘competent authority’; but a new report suggests that a lack of technical expertise and awareness leaves many smaller HSPs struggling to comply with the Regulation, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explains.

FEATURE: A review of the New South Wales Police response to those in mental health crisis has recommended that the force switch to the Right Care, Right Person model pioneered in the UK, after identifying that a law enforcement presence can often be an “escalating factor” for those experiencing a mental health crisis, while the over-reliance on a police response can increase risks and stretch resources, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Several commissions have advocated for the devolution of policing and justice to Wales, but the move doesn’t currently feature in the Labour Government’s plans; Bangor University Law Lecturer Stephen Clear, and Chaynee Hodgetts, a Barrister and Honorary Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, argue that despite the challenges, starting the process of devolution represents an opportunity for the Government to bring about meaningful change.

ANALYSIS: In the first of a two-part feature marking the 30th anniversary of police use of TASER, Policing Insight’s James Sweetland explores the global growth of this tool, what it offers policing, and concerns about racial disproportionality and use in mental health incidents – drawing on interviews with National Police Chiefs’ Council less-lethal weapons lead Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi, Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber, and others.

ANALYSIS: The final report of Australia’s Missing and murdered First Nations women and children inquiry has found that widespread racist attitudes across Australian policing, together with inadequate and delayed responses to reports of crimes, have led to a lack of trust among First Nations women in reporting domestic violence and other crimes – although several forces have now embarked on programmes to rebuild and improve the relationship with First Nations communities, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: In the latest in a series of articles exploring the opportunities and challenges presented to police by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), Chief Philip Lukens compares and contrasts the use of AI drones as patrol tools and first responders with the traditional role of patrol cars, and explores the key issues around privacy, accountability and oversight.

ANALYSIS: The latest police workforce data for England and Wales shows the roller coaster ride for resources during the 2010 to 2024 Conservative-led governments, with numbers dropping sharply followed by a rapid but partial with the Uplift after 2019; in this second of three articles, Ian Wiggett looks at the current workforce mix across England and Wales, and the recruitment and retention challenges.

FEATURE: The latest New Zealand Police Tactical Options report, which explores the use of force by officers, shows that Māori males aged 18-45 are disproportionately represented in interactions, in comparison to their cohort in the wider population; but the report also warns that focusing on ethnicity as the cause for over-representation can mask complex underlying causes, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: Ongoing research by Anglia Ruskin University’s International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI) has highlighted the gap in support for families of suspects of online child sexual abuse, and vital role played by Indirect Victim Support Officers both in providing guidance and assistance for those families, and relieving the burden on officers investigating the case, as IPPPRI Associate Professor Dr Theresa Redmond explains.

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.

OPINION: A series of recent high-profile stabbing incidents in Australia has prompted increased concerns from communities and calls for politicians to act against knife crime; but Macquarie University lecturers Dr Vince Hurley and Dr Alex Simpson argue that, despite public fears, when it comes to knife crime Australia compares favourably with countries such as the UK and Canada.

ANALYSIS: In the second of two articles on the community intelligence-led policing methodology (CILPM), Steve Dodd, a former South Wales Police detective and College of Policing subject matter expert on intelligence professionalisation, looks at how CILPM can help to tackle some of the existing key policing challenges, and why the current focus on community and neighbourhood policing make it the ideal time to adopt the new methodology.

FEATURE: A new report from Europol sets out how artificial intelligence (AI) could “significantly transform policing”, with tools such as generative AI offering a “treasure trove of possibilities” for law enforcement; but the report also highlights the profound risks around AI systems embedding “longstanding societal biases”, and the important restrictions coming into force via the landmark EU AI Act passed earlier this year, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports. 

ANALYSIS: The latest police workforce data for England and Wales shows the roller coaster ride for resources during the 2010 to 2024 Conservative-led governments, with numbers dropping sharply followed by a rapid but partial rise with the Uplift after 2019; in this first in a series of three articles, Ian Wiggett looks at the changes in workforce numbers over the past 14 years.