Analysis

ANALYSIS: When most people are preoccupied with thoughts of summer holidays, there is change afoot in the world of PCCs and fire governance. Briefly thwarted by judicial reviews, both West Mercia and Cambridgeshire PCC can now make progress but, as Catherine Levin explains, it won’t be a smooth ride for either of them.

INSIGHT: With the Government's announcement of 20,000 extra officers and the suggestion that offering those completing thirty years’ service the chance to stay (or come back) might ease the pressure, Tom Wheelhouse examines whether this is a viable solution and what the alternatives might be looking at the wider issues of recruitment, retention and resettlement.

INSIGHT: In July, Policing Insight broke the story that Lincolnshire Chief Constable Bill Skelly had begun judicial review proceedings against the College of Policing’s degree entry scheme for new police officers. As the scheme has taken shape, Policing Insight has published many articles from different stakeholders on the proposals. Here is a selection of those articles.

analysis: Following the failure of the European Union Strategy to eradicate human trafficking, Europol has launched a new joint task force. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth explores the challenges it faces in trying to combat one of the largest international crime industries in the world.

ANALYSIS: With the announcement of 20,000 new police officers, the new PEQF entry routes are back in the news. However, Dr Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University warns that organisational issues bring risks - to forces, to officers, and to the PEQF itself.

analysis: Cybercriminals are turning their attentions to the healthcare industry. Medical technology and patients' records are increasingly under attack, but the Police Service of Northern Ireland's new Cyber Crime Unit is a step in the right direction to tackling this new threat, writes Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth.

ANALYSIS: What's the best way of dealing with child sexual exploitation in practice? Kate Thomson, PhD researcher at Glasgow Caledonian University, offers a best practice model from her research with police and other practitioners in Scotland.

analysis: Leaveism - the practice of always being 'on the job' including checking emails 24/7 - is a growing habit for many. Senior Responsible Owner for the National Police Wellbeing Service Dr Ian Hesketh examines the effects of leaveism and the innovative approaches some companies have adopted to tackle it.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of a briefing paper published by the End Violence Against Women Coalition (July 2019) which conducted research into 42 Police and Crime Plans to examine the response of Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales towards violence against women and girls.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of 'The Poor Relation - The police and CPS response to crimes against older people' which examines the response to older people who studies have shown are more likely to fear being the victims of crime than people in other age groups.

Analysis: With this week’s announcement that the police service must recruit 20,000 extra officers over the next three years, Managing Director of a national police recruitment website Allpolicejobs.co.uk Richard Place explores the facts behind the headline figure.

Analysis: When the National Rural Crime Network launched its report on rural domestic abuse, the Network received calls from victims whose harrowing experiences had left them feeling isolated, unprotected and abandoned. Chair of the National Rural Crime Network and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire Julia Mulligan explores the issues surrounding this hidden crime.

Long Read: Former UK police officer and now Research Fellow at Western Sydney University Alan Beckley has analysed the findings of over 60 different studies of body-worn cameras (BWC) providing an insight into the different perspectives on their effectiveness in gathering evidence, lowering police rates of use of force and violence towards the police.

insight: The phrase “80% of what the police do has nothing to do with fighting crime” is often bandied about, but where does it come from and is it accurate? Statistic Regulator for the Office for Statistics Regulation Lewis Jack discusses the OSR's review of the value of police statistics in promoting public understanding of policing.

ANALYSIS: With Lincolnshire Police beginning a Judicial Review against the College of Policing, the controversy over the new police entry routes, the PEQF, shows no sign of abating. Dr Emma Williams and Jack Chapman (research assistant) of Canterbury Christ Church University examine the operational readiness of forces for the new qualification requirements.

Analysis: The Independent Terrorism Legislation Reviewer faces increasingly complex terrorist threats, from home-grown extremists to the full scale of international terrorism. Policing Insight Contributor Andrew Staniforth looks at the history of the role and the demands the new Independent Reviewer will face, especially as they relate to policing.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of the State of Policing report by HMCIC Sir Thomas Winsor which gives an overview of the current situation in policing in England and Wales.

analysis: Ten years ago, a WHO report urged governments to look at long-term social policy solutions to knife crime rather than view it as a policing issue. With a number of cities in the UK in the grip of a knife crime epidemic, Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth explains how this can be achieved.

Insight: It's day two of the Police Governance Summit 2019. Once again we will be live blogging the conference which will be taking a look at governance in other jurisdictions as well as the lessons learnt from police and fire mergers and how evidence can inform practice.

Insight: The second annual Police Governance Summit is taking place in Daventry this week. Policing Insight will be live blogging from the two-day event covering a range of issues from measuring performance, financial resilience and the critical relationship between chief constables and police and crime commissioners.

Analysis: The government has proposed legislation banning police cells as a place of safety for those detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, but with just 163 health-based places available and over 30,000 people detained under the Act, Daniel Moloney of the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice at Northampton University examines the impact the legislation could have on policing.

Opinion: The police and MI5 are independent of each other but often collaborate closely especially on counter-terrorism. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth outlines the repercussions that MI5's recent breach of data security law will have for the police service.

Analysis: Women offenders interact with the criminal justice system in unique ways and have specific vulnerabilities that set them apart from other offenders. Crest Advisory's Sophie du Mont offers PCCs and policy makers five tips to improving outcomes for women offenders by looking at what works best for them.

Analysis: Neighbourhood policing and community engagement are the cornerstones of policing, but Managing Director of Intensive Engagement Richard James argues there needs to be a better approach to engagement although it will take a fundamental shift by both the police and their partners.