Analysis

OPINION: While charge rates are often taken as an indicator of a police force’s success in tackling crime, many stakeholders argue that out-of-court resolutions (OOCRs) can provide victims with meaningful justice while reducing the burden on the court system; Ella Thomson, Research and Policy Officer for Transform Justice, sets out the findings of the organisation’s recent research into police use of OOCRs, as well as three key practical takeaways that can help forces to improve and increase their use of the diversionary measures.

ANALYSIS: Many police forces globally are grappling with the challenge of how they use social media such as X to improve communications and public engagement; research by Dr Usman A. Ojedokun, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Nigeria’s University of Ibadan, explores the success or otherwise of the Nigeria Police Force’s use of X for both engagement and crime reporting, and the reasons behind why some people opted for the social media route to contact the police.

INNOVATION: A study of drug violence dynamics on Merseyside has highlighted the importance of understanding the “informal governance mechanisms” employed by organised crime groups (OCGs), and has led to the creation of a ‘co-operation index’ tool which can help police to more effectively target resources and prevent increased violence between OCGs, as researcher Dr Andrea Giovannetti explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: From complex crimes and tight finances to emerging technology and the public expectations, policing in the UK is facing a wide range of often complex challenges; in an article drawing on her recent Atkins Lecture, Professor Kate Bowers, Director of UCL’s Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science, sets out some of those key challenges and, in the wake of the recently published white paper on police reform, suggests some potential ideas to address them.

ANALYSIS: The recent UK police reform proposals include a five-fold increase in the number of live facial recognition vans available to forces, and a significant expansion of the use of the technology; new research by Associate Professor Kay Ritchie of the University of Lincoln and Associate Professor Katie Gray of the University of Reading reveals that while the facial recognition technology used by police is now very accurate, public understanding of how it works and how it is used lags far behind.

OPINION: In the latest in a regular series of articles from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), Philip Seccombe, Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire and the APCC’s Joint Lead on Roads Policing, welcomes some of the measures set out in the UK’s recently published Road Safety Strategy, but urges the Government to go further to protect those who feature disproportionately among the 1,600 people killed on UK roads every year.

FEATURE: A recent report by the Public Accounts Committee is calling for more transparency over what it described as the “hopelessly outdated” funding formula for police in England and Wales which is restricting forces’ ability to recruit the right staff and roll out new technology, and warns that the Home Office needs better understanding of how policy changes impact on policing resources, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Efforts to address the issue of ‘police culture’ are a regular feature of transformation programmes in law enforcement; organisational psychologist Michael Stephenson argues that most culture change initiatives fail because those creating them fundamentally misunderstand what culture is, its complexity, and the importance of recognising and addressing the role of ‘micro-narratives’ rather than trying to engineer new cultures through imposed idealised values and mindsets.

INTERVIEW: New research highlights the gaps in police awareness and understanding of ‘non-fungible tokens’ (NFTs) and their exploitation – particularly by organised crime gangs – in areas such as theft and money laundering; Professors Saskia Hufnagel and Colin King of the University of Sydney Law School spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the fear police are “multiple steps” behind criminals in investigating NFT crimes, the call for better training, and the need for more legal clarity based on case law.

OPINION: One high-profile element of the UK Government’s proposals on police reform is the introduction of a ‘licence to practise’ for officers; police ethics advisor Montell Neufville argues that, with a ‘four P’s’ approach – based on promote, praise, prevent and punish – and a tiered accountability framework, the license to practice for police could become a license to trust for the public.

OPINION: In their analysis of some of the key measures in the recent UK Government policing reform paper, Leeds Trinity University Associate Professor Jonathan Jackson and Policing Lecturer Adam Stokes argue that commitment to reform will need to be long-term and cross-party to succeed, and that some of the proposals appear to offer macro solutions to micro problems.

FEATURE: Research by the Youth Endowment Fund among 13-17-year-olds in England and Wales indicates that 240,000 youngsters had been or in a gang, while 440,000 criminally exploited teenagers had been approached to sell or transport drugs, or store drugs, weapons or money; but the study also highlights that more teenagers have left gangs than are currently involved with them, suggesting “timely and co-ordinated support” can give them “a real chance to live a life free from violence”, reports Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: In the wake of the recent attempted bombing in Perth being declared a terrorist act, and growing concerns around hate crime and extremism, Australia’s Independent National Security Legislation Monitor is now undertaking an inquiry into the country’s legal definition of terrorism; Griffith University Associate Professor Dr Keiran Hardy explores the current definition and related offences, why the wording is so important, and whether the existing legal definition is fit for purpose.

FEATURE: The increase in online Holocaust denial and disinformation, alongside the social media surge in both antisemitic and anti-Islamic language, have prompted concerns that such digital hate speech can fuel criminal acts in the real world; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the scale of online antisemitic hate crime and the work of the European Observatory of Online Hate.

ANALYSIS: The UK Government’s recently published white paper on police reform included proposals for a Senior National Co-ordinator for public order policing, to be based in the new National Police Service; Policing Insight’s Graham Wettone, a former Metropolitan Police officer and public order specialist, explores the proposals outlined in the paper, as well as setting out the need for a wider review of approaches to public order policing as part of the reform process.

OPINION: With UK police reform now firmly on the agenda, ethics specialist Dr Richard Cockbain sets out why policing needs to shift its focus from the risk-averse approach of minimising failure at all costs to recognising, articulating and learning from successes, and the challenges around culture, structure and incentive that will need to be addressed if reform is to deliver positive transformation.

INTERVIEW: With the growth of online hate speech and disinformation, and its role in fuelling real-world criminal activity, tackling the damaging digital narratives has become a priority for many organisations and jurisdictions; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth spoke to Paula Gomila Marqués, who contributes to the implementation, stakeholder engagement, and dissemination activities of the European Union’s HATEDEMICS project, which seeks to address the intersection of online hate speech and disinformation.

INNOVATION: A new Wellbeing and Trauma Resilience Programme launched by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) – with funding secured from external sources – is focusing on stepping into the “proactive space” around wellbeing support, with group EMDR therapy, peer support groups, a new app, and psychoeducation for new recruits at the PSNI Police College among the range of measures that are already proving successful, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INSIGHT: The Canadian Integrated Ballistics Identification Network (CIBIN) has become a valuable tool in firearms investigation, turning ballistic evidence into actionable intelligence capable of linking cases, suspects, and criminal networks; but to ensure that CIBIN increases the capability to combat gun crime, law enforcement must continue to prioritise data and intelligence collection and sharing, say Vernon White, former head of Ottawa Police, and Soham Thorat, a technical and strategic expert in firearms intelligence.

FEATURE: A report on the scale of violence experienced by young people aged 13-17 in England and Wales – one of four reports drawn from a survey undertaken by the Youth Endowment Fund – found that half of them had witnessed violence, nearly one in five had been a victim, and one in eight admitted carrying out violence themselves, while more than 80% of those aged 13-17 have viewed conversations online about hurting specific groups, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: The role played by artificial intelligence (AI) in the decision by West Midlands Police to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans – a move which led to the retirement of Chief Constable Craig Guildford – highlighted concerns about the police use of AI; organisational psychologist Michael Stephenson applies the latest research framework on the risks AI poses to civic institutions to assess the West Midlands Police case (in an article that itself contains analysis generated by Claude Opus 4.5 AI).

OPINION: In response to an apparent surge in youth gang crime, Victoria Police in Australia have reportedly begun issuing ‘anti-association orders’ to prevent youngsters being drawn into gangs; but Dr Kathryn Benier of Monash University and Dr Angela Higginson of Queensland University of Technology argue that alongside clearer understanding of why young people join gangs, better funded early intervention and prevention programs are needed for sustainable reductions in youth violence and gang involvement.

FEATURE: This year will see the launch of two new counter-terrorism initiatives in the UK – a register of specialists who can provide protective security and preparedness advice for businesses and organisations, and a new regulation training individuals to provide counter-terrorism advice and preparedness measures in the workplace – which are both part of the broader response to the Manchester Arena bombing under the aegis of what has become known as ‘Martyn’s Law’, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explains.

FEATURE: A report capturing key insights, challenges, and priorities identified during a roundtable on intelligence and serious and organised crime (SOC) – featuring officers and intelligence leads from more than 30 UK forces alongside regional organised crime units and overseas partners – is calling for intelligence to be repositioned as the “strategic engine” in the fight against SOC, and sets out steps to build capacity and embed an intelligence-led culture, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.