Analysis

ANALYSIS: With the UK public preparing to head to the polls to elect the next government, each party has set out its specific manifesto pledges on policing and crime; Policing Insight’s Thomas James looks at what the parties are promising to implement should they get into power, and – despite widespread media coverage of policing and crime over recent months – whether voters actually care about it as an election issue.

FEATURE: Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the latest opportunities for police researchers and innovators under the Horizon Europe programme, which includes funding specifically to explore the ability to mitigate new threats and to adapt investigation strategies in the ‘Internet of Things’ era.

INTERVIEW: Having had her own battles with anxiety and mental health, Police Scotland’s Sgt Laura Gibson embarked on a Churchill Fellowship study to explore the efforts made by law enforcement agencies in the US to better prepare recruits for the psychological impact of the job, as well as to understand more about why officers do take their own lives – lessons she believes could have real benefits in the UK, as she told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

ANALYSIS: In this second article of a two-part series about the modern ransomware threat, Policing Insight’s James Sweetland examines how law enforcement tries to respond to this challenge and what role policing should play, drawing on exclusive interviews with the National Crime Agency, the National Cyber Security Centre and other experts. 

FEATURE: A new report from the Childlight campaign group has highlighted the staggering scale of online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) – with estimates that at least 300 million children a year are victims – and has urged governments, health experts and law enforcement to tackle OCSEA as “a global health pandemic”, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Australia is looking to create a $400 million training facility in Brisbane for Pacific islands police officers, to strengthen the country’s role as the main security partner in the Pacific; but Professor Danielle Watson of the Queensland University of Technology argues that closer partnerships and investing in training provision within the island communities would be a more sustainable and effective option.

ANALYSIS: A new report from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties claims that Ireland’s An Garda Síochána has yet to make significant progress on addressing a number of human rights concerns highlighted six years ago; but the force has strenuously defended its approach, pointing to a number of developments around cultural awareness, community and diversity as evidence that human rights remain at the heart of the Garda’s role, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: New research by Deakin University PhD Candidate Jess Woolley has highlighted how some perpetrators of family violence are weaponising suicide threats, leading to concerns among police officers that addressing the mental health of the perpetrator as a priority can subsequently leave victim-survivors at risk and without adequate protection.

ANALYSIS: Young male drivers are four times more likely than older drivers to be killed or seriously injured on the roads in the UK, and road traffic crashes are the leading cause of death among 17-24-year-olds; Police Foundation Researcher Ruth Halkon explains why her organisation has joined forces with several others to push for the next government to adopt a public health approach to road death reduction, including graduated licences and improved driver education.

FEATURE: With 2024 marking the 25th anniversary of the launch of Europol, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the organisation’s efforts to support member states in the fight against key crime threats, and in particular the work of the Innovation Lab in identifying and developing new technologies, and promoting partnerships and regulatory standards.

ANALYSIS: In the first in a two-part series about the modern ransomware threat, Policing Insight’s James Sweetland explores the development and defining features of this complex crime type – including the effect of bitcoin, the potential impact of artificial intelligence, and the role of Russia – drawing on exclusive interviews with the National Crime Agency, the National Cyber Security Centre and other experts.

ANALYSIS: Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, the National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), has expressed concerns at the “huge shortfall” in wider public sector efforts to combat VAWG in the UK due to a lack of response from government and the Policing Minister over approach, Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass can reveal.

ANALYSIS: Police in New Zealand – as with many other jurisdictions – are facing significant growth in callouts to mental health incidents, and are considering various approaches; new research by Auckland University of Technology Associate Professor Katey Thom, and Sarah Gordon, Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Otago, suggests that shifting to a trauma-informed support system could improve responses and reduce police involvement.

OPINION: The significant health impacts of cybercrime, particularly psychosocial crimes, have a disproportionate negative effect on the wellbeing of women and girls, explains international policing consultant and GLEPHA Fellow Dr Melissa Jardine – and preventing and successfully responding to many of those crimes will take the multi-agency approaches and collective actions already evident in good public health policing.

FEATURE: Environmental crimes such as large-scale dumping, illegal waste sites, and illegal export of waste have become one of the fastest growth areas for organised crime groups; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explores the scale of the problem, and efforts by countries across Europe to tackle the threat using the latest technologies including artificial intelligence.

INNOVATION: In the latest in a series of articles exploring the opportunities and challenges presented to police by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), Chief Philip Lukens explores the potential for improving officer safety, wellbeing and performance though the use of AI systems to detect fatigue in police drivers.

LONG READ: The response to those in mental health crisis has been a major concern for many in policing, with the growing view that uniformed officers are not the most appropriate to deploy to many mental health-related calls; as UK policing continues to adopt the Right Care, Right Person approach, Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons takes a closer look at efforts by police forces in Australia and New Zealand to address the challenge.

OPINION: The Ontario Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is considered to be a pioneer in Canadian police oversight; but University of Guelph Associate Professor Kate Puddister, and Brock University Assistant Professor Danielle McNabb, argue that the SIU’s mandate is too narrow to be effective, and point to alternative approaches which are able to consider all types of complaints against police, as well as reviewing police policy, to prevent misconduct in the first place.

ANALYSIS: Europol has identified 821 criminal networks with 25,000 members from 112 different nationalities which carry the biggest threat both inside the EU and internationally – based on the fact they are agile, borderless, controlling and destructive – and has called for “a culture of proactive international police co-operation” to tackle the threat, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INSIGHT: Recruiting and training a diverse workforce with the necessary skills and talents remains a particular challenge for policing; Harry Gooding, Director of Skills and Learning at Hays, explains a new apprenticeship approach which focuses on an individual’s transferable skills, motivation and attitude rather than academic qualifications, and includes a 10-week ‘bootcamp’ providing the coaching and learning required to embark on a range of policing careers.

FEATURE: With law enforcement agencies around the world looking to make the best use of volunteers, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at a EU new report by a group of research projects which has identified a range of measures to leverage the maximum potential from community volunteers in responding to and recovering from major disasters.

FEATURE: A review of the handling of sexual assault cases by Australian Capital Territory Policing (ACT) – undertaken in response to a previous 2021 report highlighting concerns – has called for the introduction of victim-survivor advocates to reduce attrition rates, improved communications, and updates to police training, policies and practices, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: As political parties in the UK begin their election campaigning in earnest, a Conservative proposal for a new national service scheme – which would include options for young people to undertake their service in ‘civic duties’ including policing – has prompted much debate; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at how the scheme might work, what happens elsewhere, and the possible challenges and benefits.

ANALYSIS: The concept of coercive control has been recognised for more than 15 years, and coercive and controlling behaviour was introduced as a criminal offence in 2015; but research by Julia Pitman, justice policy, campaigns and research professional, highlighted key barriers the police face in recognising female offenders as victims of coercive control, including lack of officer skill and experience, and inadequate policy and guidance.