Opinion

OPINION: With increasing attacks and abuse on the streets, vilification online and a seeming lack of support from some politicians, the sense of a growing anti-police sentiment – added to the frustration many officers already felt – is damaging officer welfare. Owen West believes it's time for the NPCC to take the lead in promoting public service, preventing a siege mentality, and protecting officers and staff.

OPINION: As the prospects of a negotiated Brexit agreement diminish, Dr Paul Swallow, Senior Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University's School of Law, Criminal Justice and Policing, outlines why he believes a no-deal Brexit will inevitably weaken the UK’s position on international security.

Opinion: Paul Griffiths, President of the Police Superintendents' Association, says the police service's recruitment drive in England and Wales is a 'generational opportunity' to improve diversity, but only if we do things differently.

OPINION: The Emergency Services Network (ESN), the replacement for the UK police radio communications system, has been beset by delays and rising costs. Evan Morris MBE, vice chair of the National Association of Police, Fire and Crime Panels (NAPFCP) and chair of Cheshire Police and Crime Panel, calls on crime panels to challenge their Police and Crime Commissioners over the impact this has had on budgets.

OPINION: The current pandemic has forced many industries to address questions of flexible working as a matter of some urgency. But for many in policing, flexible working is hampered by complex business needs as well as structural and cultural issues. Here, Sgt Caroline Hay and Dr Emma Williams present a @wecops Twitter debate on the issues.

Opinion: 'Section 60' stop and search powers continue to cause controversy, but Montell Neufville, a police ethics adviser, trainer and chair of a police community scrutiny panel, says that if officers of all ranks adhered to the Police Code of Ethics, many of the issues surrounding stop and search could be avoided.

Opinion: Damian Allain, a former senior detective and now Head of Casework at charity Inside Justice, believes a lack of knowledge and understanding around the safe retention of evidence in criminal cases is risking potential miscarriages of justice.

OPINION: The 'de-fund the police' movement has been gaining traction in the United States, and similar debates are happening this side of the Atlantic. But far from being a threat to law enforcement, Owen West believes de-funding policing in favour of resourcing other support agencies is a real opportunity for constructive change.

Insight: Once the legal process relating to cases of sexual abuse or violence is completed, it's often the families of victims who are left to pick up the pieces, acting as carers for their loved ones, in some cases for many years. Restitute founder Cath Pickles shares the experiences of her own family following her daughter's disclosure of sexual abuse, and highlights the need for more effective early interventions and better support for all families supporting victims.

Opinion: With the use of artificial intelligence (AI) on the increase, Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth discusses the progress of the ROXANNE project in discovering criminal networks and identifying their members by capitalising on certain aspect of AI technologies.

Opinion: In his first blog as President of the Disabled Police Association, Simon Nelson highlights the impact of Covid-19 on disabled officers and staff, and calls for national policing strategies to truly value difference, diversity and disability.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, Part 2: Launched in 2013, the QLiTE system is the cornerstone of Queensland Police's mobile technology services programme. Queensland Police Service Commissioner Katarina Carroll talks to Policing Insight about the benefits the system has already delivered and the possibilities for the future.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: In Australia, both the Covid-19 infection rate and the number of fatalities have been relatively low compared with other countries. In an exclusive interview with Policing Insight, the Commissioner of Queensland Police Service Katarina Carroll explains how their '3 Cs' strategy - compassion, communication and compliance - was pivotal to the success of the policing operation.

Opinion: Professor of Law at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia Thalia Anthony says Australia is appalled by racist police violence in the United States, but does not confront discrimination within its own criminal justice system against First Nations people.

Opinion: The lockdown has led forces to re-evaluate how they use technology to support their operations with some innovative results. Director at technology consultancy Tisski Ben Austen explores how having an integrated technology platform at the heart of policing will enable forces to continue to innovate.

OPINION: The policing of the Black Lives Matters protests may not have triggered a review of policing in the UK, but, says Vice President of the Police Superintendents' Association Chief Superintendent Ian Wylie, policing must still seize the opportunity to change.

INTERVIEW: Kenya has a long history of policing with excessive force, often resulting in unnecessary deaths. Recently, at least six people died from police violence during the first 10 days of a dusk-to-dawn curfew. Moina Spooner, from The Conversation Africa, asked Douglas Kivoi, an expert on police reform and policy, to shed light on the situation.

Analysis: In the wake of the death of George Floyd in the U.S, tensions over racial discrimination have spread across the world, including Australia. Emma Thomas, Associate Professor at Flinders University, examines the policing of protests and why some turn violent.

Opinion: Technology has played a huge role in policing the lockdown, especially in enabling officers and staff to successfully work remotely. Simon Hall, CEO of Coeus Software, explores what this means now Covid-19 restrictions are being slowly eased.

Opinion: The death of George Floyd in the United States has sparked mass protests across the world including the UK. Although the UK has a different policing model, UK policing has its own problems including the disproportionate use of Stop and Search powers. Here Rick Muir, Director of the Police Foundation, offers a way forward.

OPINION: In the light of George Floyd's death at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis USA, UK West Midlands Police Chief Constable, Dave Thompson QPM, compares UK and US policing, and explains why he is "convinced we have not moved far enough" on policing diverse societies.

Interview: The COVID-19 crisis has impacted upon police forces across the world. Vice Dean of the Police College of the Republic of Croatia Assistant Professor Ruža Karlović tells Policing Insight how the active engagement in community policing research and innovation with European police partners has supported the organisation and delivery of COVID-19 emergency measures to local communities.

OPINION: The death of George Floyd in the United States, following restraint by police officers, has cast a global spotlight on police use of force. Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson sets out how he and his OPCC team oversee and scrutinise the work of West Midlands Police, thus seeking to retain confidence in policing amongst all local communities.

Analysis: The Covid-19 outbreak has brought collaboration between agencies sharply into focus. Ian Blackhurst, Executive Director Safety at Northgate Public Services, sets out how the police and partners can connect better to ensure safer communities and lessen the chance of victims falling through the net.