Analysis

FEATURE: During the pandemic, most public and private sector organisations found technology and digital channels were critical to survival; but the large-scale public sector investment in digital transformation is not being matched by funding for cyber security measures, leaving police, the NHS and many others more vulnerable to cyber attack and data breaches, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

FEATURES: A new report on the UK police response to domestic abuse during the coronavirus pandemic has praised forces for their proactive and innovative approaches, but voiced fresh concerns over the delays in cases coming to court, and the long-term impact of the significant level of cases discontinued, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Crime on farms can have a damaging effect on both the lives and wellbeing of farmers and their families, and on the survival of farming businesses; now new approaches adopted by New South Wales Police to target such crimes, encourage reporting and support the rural community are having a positive impact, as Senior Lecturers Kyle Mulrooney and Alistair Harkness of the University of New England explain.

FEATURE: Guidance on the forthcoming Serious Violence Duty highlights the opportunities for policing in partnership with other agencies to divert children away from the criminal justice system at an early age; Mark Cooper, Director of Greymalkin Consulting, looks at how out of court disposals work, how the new duty can improve their use, and why multi-agency collaboration is crucial to improving outcomes for all.

ANALYSIS: While COVID-19 created new challenges for policing globally, many of the key issues in play before the pandemic continue to pose major questions for law enforcement; Dr Victoria Herrington, Director Knowledge at the Australian Institute for Police Management, and ACC Jackie Sebire of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire’s Joint Protective Services Command, believe a policing future which leans into complexity and embraces an expansive role is the way forward.

FEATURE: This month’s Cumberland Lodge Policing Conference explored the complex topic of law enforcement and reconciliation, including building trust with victims and survivors, improving openness and transparency, and the need to balance current policing demands with addressing historical injustices; PhD Researcher Peter Hersee highlights the key discussions, debates and messages from the Conference.

FEATURE: Organised crime groups have a long history of infiltrating the legitimate transport industry to move illicit goods and ‘commodities’ around the globe; now a new report has highlighted how those criminal networks are increasingly targeting the tow-truck sector as cover for their illegal activities, as Policing Insight's Chris Allen explains.

FEATURE: The recent conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas has heightened tensions and led to an increase in religious hatred far beyond the Middle East; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on initiatives across Europe to strengthen community cohesion and prevent extremists from launching successful attacks on and around places of worship.

ANALYSIS: Hate crime can have a long-lasting and devastating effect on victims, but what about the impact on the wider community? New research by Monash University’s Researcher Chloe Keel, Prof Rebecca Wickes and lecturer Kathryn Benier found that ‘secondary exposure’ to hate crime could actually increase negative sentiments towards migrant groups and lead to more boundaries between sections of the community.

ANALYSIS: While mafia myths of traditional, family-based organised crime networks expanding internationally still loom large in the media, new research suggests the European reality is one of co-operation between different groups, rather than exporting the Italian crime structure abroad; Dr Anna Sergi of the University of Essex outlines the key findings of the Countering regional Italian Mafia expansion (CRIME) project.

FEATURE: In 2014, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner became the world’s first online safety regulator; Julie Inman-Grant, who took up the Commissioner’s post in 2017, believes that the organisation’s model of protection, prevention, and proactive and systemic change – backed this year by new online safety legislation – has helped to create a successful blueprint that other countries are now looking to follow.

FEATURE: A judge-led review of missing persons investigations in Canada – prompted by the murders of eight gay or bisexual men in the Toronto area by serial killer Bruce McArthur – has recommended a new approach to cases that draws on models from other countries including the UK; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports on the review, and the launch of an international database to share good practice.

ANALYSIS: The N8 Policing Research Partnership is currently holding the Policing Innovation Forum, focusing on ‘Effective Partnerships in Policing’; At the first session in May, Dr Layla Skinns of the University of Sheffield presented on research on vulnerability in police custody, including the growing role of health care professionals and liaison and diversion, and the concept of ‘universal vulnerability’.

ANALYSIS: The debate over the benefits of double-crewed versus single-crewed police response units has continued for some time, but new research from West Midlands Police indicates that pairing up is more productive, safer and delivers more successful outcomes; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at how this new data can help to deliver a better assessment of the numbers required on response policing, and offer the best chance of detection in the safest way.

FEATURE: While COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns significantly impacted on criminal activity in many areas, the latest Europol report confirms that migrant smuggling and human trafficking quickly adapted to a new normal; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the scale of the problem, efforts to target smuggling and trafficking operations, and the trade-off between the right to privacy and the criminal exploitation of encrypted communications channels.

ANALYSIS: Following on from a call in 2016 by UN Special Rapporteur Juan E. Mendez for a ‘universal protocol’ on standards for non-coercive interviewing methods, new Principles for Effective Interviewing have now been published; investigative interviewing specialist Professor Ray Bull, a member of the committee which drew up the new principles, explains the reasoning behind them, the standards they set, and the likely impact on good practice in policing.

FEATURES: As the Novichok poisoning in Salisbury three years ago and other chemical agent attacks have highlighted, the CBRN threat can have a real, traumatic and long-lasting impact; Policing Insight’s Andy Staniforth reports on a new joint European initiative to protect shopping malls – potentially a soft target for terrorists and state-sponsored actors – from CBRN attack.

FEATURE: Plans to crackdown on an apparent surge in youth crime in Queensland and the Northern Territories aren’t supported by figures which suggest youth prosecutions are falling, but there is clearly a real problem with recidivism among young offenders: Analyst Dr Teagan Westendorf of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute argues that improving child protection will be more effective in tackling the issue than increasing incarceration.

ANALYSIS : The pandemic has focused attention on our reliance on infrastructure; but organised criminals rarely miss opportunities to 'repurpose' technology. Martin Gallagher, serving officer with Police Scotland, and Chris Foster of the University of Manchester, explore the concept of 'shadow infrastructure' and its dangers.

FEATURE: The recent Europol terrorism report confirmed that violent Jihadism remains a serious concern in the UK, and also redefines ‘Jihadist terrorism’; as Jihadist attacks on soft targets continue, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on why the definition and terminology used is a key issue for law enforcement.

ANALYSIS: DNA and other biometric samples are retained in the UK under clear regulations and an overarching legal framework; but as Post-Doctoral Researcher Karen Richmond of the University of Copenhagen explains, misaligned legislation between England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, means that more than one million samples are being illegally retained – leaving police personnel who enrol those subject onto databases open to litigation.

FEATURE: New research has highlighted the hugely profitable, ‘industrial scale’ wildlife crime taking place in West Africa, co-ordinated largely by organised crime groups, as well as the potential for financial investigators to target the criminals; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the options for tackling a severely damaging global trade, often undertaken at a local level by some of the world’s poorest people.

FEATURE: Wales has been a pioneering country in its public-health approach to policing, but now a multi-agency initiative is aiming to create a truly trauma-informed nation that understands and recognises the impact of adverse childhood experiences, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro reports.

UK PCC Elections 2021: With the final results of the 2021 police and crime commissioner (PCC) election now finally in, Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix looks at the blue wave that seems to have swept across much of the country, and considers the roles and challenges facing both new and returning PCCs.