Analysis

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of a joint inspection by HMICFRS and HMICS into the arrangements surrounding how chief officers are selected and developed.

Analysis: The aim of effective governance in policing is to ensure oversight, accountability and transparency. Ireland, Scotland and England and Wales follow different models of governance, but, as Policing Insight's Keith Potter, found the issues they face are often very similar.

insight: Social media is an important public engagement tool for policing, but what happens when an officer posts inappropriate messages? Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth examines the implications of The Plain View Project, a US database of comments made by police officers, which uncovered thousands of offensive posts.

Analysis: A recent Times article revealed the police fail to investigate thousands of crimes reported to Action Fraud. In a co-authored article, West Midlands Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Waheed Saleem and Policy Officer Brendan Warner-Southwell argue that the lack of governance, scrutiny and accountability surrounding Action Fraud has allowed this to happen.

ANALYSIS: New Home Secretary Priti Patel has promised a hardline approach to policing, with criminals feeling "terror". But do such approaches have the desired effect? Dr Will Mason of the University of Sheffield shows how one drugs crackdown in a northern city was seen by local residents as damaging trust and exacerbating the community's problems.

Analysis: In response to Professor Webster's article calling for an urgent debate on CCTV, former deputy CIO for the MPS and now Global Safety Adviser for Huawei Andrew Watson says the focus shouldn't be on the technology, but how the data is used. The views expressed in this article are Andrew's and do not necessarily reflect Huawei.

Analysis: Sopra Steria's Principal Consultant Benjamyn Damazer warns that Windows 7 is not fit for the demands of modern policing. Its more recent successor - Windows 10 - might meet policing requirements, but only if it is properly implemented.

analysis: Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth lays out the opportunities that the Horizon 2020 European research fund presents for policing and urges Chief Officers and PCCs to seize their chance to apply for millions of euros of funding before the Brexit deadline of the 31 October.

New Series: In the first of five papers, Dr Roy Bailey explores how the appointments process for Police and Crime Panels has created panels that do not represent the communities they serve or ensure all candidates have the adequate knowledge and experience to fulfil their role.

Analysis: Following the recent announcement that a pilot which makes section 60 stop and searches easier will be extended to a further 8,000 police officers, policing commentator Ben Twomey argues the 'three pillars' of effectiveness, disproportionality and transparency still sit at the heart of good practice.

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.