Analysis

FEATURE: The ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ programme to tackle serious and organised crime (SOC) – implemented across almost all territorial police forces in England and Wales – is successfully driving down acquisitive crime and promoting partnership approaches that are ending silo working, according to a new evaluation report, although challenges still remain in some areas around community perceptions and long-term resilience, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Investigative genetic genealogy is being used by police forces around the world to identify both the discovered remains of unknown individuals, and to track down those responsible for murders and other violent crimes; in this edited version of her Churchill Fellowship report, Dr Emma Tilley of the University of Staffordshire looks at the use of investigative genetic genealogy in police investigations around the world, the benefits and challenges it offers, and how can UK policing can implement this new technique.

ANALYSIS: With illicit drug use increasing by 20% over the past decade, University of York Honorary Fellow and Associate Professor Ian Hamilton looks at the scale of the harm done by drugs around the world, the changing trends in supply and demand, and calls for a “complete shift” in the way governments and societies recognise and respond to what has become a global threat.

FEATURE: A National Audit Office ‘value for money’ report into the work of the Government and Home Office to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) has warned that efforts to improve the outcome for victims have largely failed so far, with the Home Office failing to lead an effective cross-government response, and a generally limited understanding of the resources allocated to tackling VAWG or their impact, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: The Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA) and the Superintendents’ Association of Northern Ireland recently submitted evidence to the Police Remuneration Review Body on pay and conditions, calling for (amongst other things) a fully funded 4.8% pay rise across all ranks, and a new health and wellbeing structure for officers and staff; PSA National Secretary Chief Superintendent Warren Franklin explains the reasoning behind the submission, and the need for a long-term strategy going forwards.

FEATURE: Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass reports on what was discussed at a first-of-a-kind international symposium on boosting trust and confidence in policing, including new research on winning public support and the importance of listening to communities.

FEATURE: In the wake of a joint investigation into a super complaint over police-perpetrated domestic abuse (PPDA), the Independent Office for Police Conduct has now published its review of the way forces in England and Wales handle such cases, with calls for improved training for frontline officers on the potentially complex nature of PPDA, the need for better recording and vetting, and greater consideration of the impartiality of investigations, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: The continuing development of digital and multi-channel public contact is a key issue for policing across England and Wales; in the second in a series of police technology webinars produced by PolicingTV, NPCC Digital Public Contact Programme Social Media lead Patrick Robins and Digital Youth Engagement lead Alex Finn, and TOEX and CSE Taskforce Communications lead Natalie Reed, explored the benefits and risks of policing’s social media participation, and the challenges around engaging young people.

OPINION: In the first in a new regular series of articles and opinion pieces from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell, Chair of the APCC, highlights the PCC-based initiatives underway across England and Wales to reduce crime and improve community safety, particularly focusing on crime prevention and partnership working, with new research published this week underlining the effectiveness of multi-agency, evidence-based collaboration.

ANALYSIS: Recent arrests and seizures suggest that drug traffickers are increasingly switching to chemically concealed cocaine (CCC) to move tonnes of shipments around the world, successfully passing through ports and airports undetected; in the first in a series of articles on CCC and organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Dalby looks at the background of this seismic shift in drug trafficking, the scale of the problem, and what steps law enforcement can take to meet some of the key challenges.

ANALYSIS: Every day, police officers endure experiences that most people can’t even imagine – violence, tragedy, and life-or-death emotionally fuelled decisions – but what happens when the weight of that trauma becomes too much to bear? PhD researcher Lucy Davies of the Open University’s Centre of Policing Research & Learning (CPRL) explores how unprocessed trauma can quietly erode judgement, fuel emotion dysregulation and, in some cases, lead to the very misconduct that undermines public trust.

FEATURE: A new Police Foundation report into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in policing across England and Wales has called for improved data literacy – particularly at senior leadership levels – alongside national frameworks for digital technology delivery, data standardisation and the ethical use of AI, to ensure forces leverage maximum potential from the new tech while improving service to the public, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

INNOVATION: Avon and Somerset Police’s Dementia Safeguarding Scheme is using Bluetooth tags and GPS trackers to help those with dementia if they go missing – reducing the amount of police resources deployed on tracing vulnerable people and protecting loved ones – as scheme pioneer Inspector Stuart King told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: The guilty plea and sentencing last month of 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana for the horrific murders of three young girls in Southport in July have prompted fresh debate about whether existing UK terrorism legislation is fit for purpose; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks back at how the current laws came into place, and what changes could mean for the definitions of ‘terrorism’ and ‘terrorist’.

ANALYSIS: Sexual Risk Orders (SROs) can help to reduce sexual harm by offenders by more than 80%, but a lack understanding about their effectiveness and how they can and should be used has led to an inconsistent approach from forces across England and Wales; new research by Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Dan Whitten highlights the potential benefits of greater use of SROs in tackling sexual violence against women and girls, and the steps forces can take to maximise those benefits.

ANALYSIS: The rapid growth in the global use of new synthetic opioids (NSOs) including fentanyl and nitazenes prompted the UK’s National Crime Agency to warn last year that “there has never been a more dangerous time to take [illegal] drugs”; Dr Philip Berry, a Visiting Research Fellow at King’s College London and expert on the international drugs trade, looks at the background to the growth in NSOs, the nitazene ‘boom’ and the global heroin market, and what lessons the UK and Europe can learn from the US experience.

FEATURE: A new report from the Garda Policing Authority on the performance of the service has highlighted the need for sustained investment and an “overarching framework” for the introduction and use of technology, as well as continuing efforts to address challenges around recruitment and retention, to maintain An Garda Síochána’s progress on service delivery, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A new report from the Northern Ireland Policing Board exploring the relationship between children and young people and the Police Service of Northern Ireland has urged the Service to engage more effectively with youngsters who may often be vulnerable to influence and control from paramilitary and organised crime groups, with the role of neighbourhood officers and a rethink of the use of stop and search among key steps to improve that engagement, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: The Australian Government published a new counter-terrorism (CT) and counter-violent extremism (CVE) strategy last month, with surprisingly little publicity; Henry Campbell of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) believes that the new document is both light on CT policy and lacking in strategy, and fails to meet the new and evolving terrorist threat facing Australia.

FEATURE: The trial of the architect of the 9/11 terror attacks was halted again last month, after the US government blocked a plea deal that would have seen Khalid Sheikh Mohammed escape the death penalty; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks back at the planning of what was described as “the most egregious criminal act on American soil in modern history”, and why the trial of the man who has admitted masterminding those events has still not come to conclusion 23 years later.

INNOVATION: Operation Makesafe is the nationwide policing initiative working with hotels and accommodation providers across England and Wales to target and prevent premises being used for child sexual exploitation (CSE); Richard Fewkes, Director of the Hydrant Programme and the CSE Taskforce, explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about how the initiative works, and the potential to expand to other sectors including fast-food outlets, taxi companies and vape shops.

ANALYSIS: London Policing College Senior Lecturer and Consultant Dr Chris Allen explores the key terrorism threats facing the UK from ideological, religious and political perpetrators as well as state actors, and looks at the projected trends over the coming 12 months.

FEATURE: A recent evaluation of the roll out of the ‘Right Care, Right Person’ approach to responding to mental health crises has identified savings in police time allowing forces to free up resources for other priorities – but challenges around decision-making, communications, and the funding and capacity constraints for other agencies are also hampering the effective implementation of the scheme across England and Wales, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A new report by the Queensland Human Rights Commission warns that Queensland Police Service must address issues of “systemic” discrimination and inequality that have become “deeply entrenched” in its culture if the organisation is to recruit and retain the talent it needs to deliver the level of service required in modern policing, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.