Opinion

OPINION: Lincolnshire PCC Marc Jones provides his perspective on the Government announcement this week of an additional 20,000 police recruits over the next three years.

interview: This month, the Home Office launched new software to speed up online child abuse investigations and limit the number of indecent images police officers have to view. Benjamin Gancz, former Metropolitan Police detective and CEO of Qumodo, which was involved in developing the software, talks to Policing Insight about the potential impact of this new tool.

Opinion: UK Police & Justice Managing Director for Accenture Allan Fairley explores how greater collaboration would allow police forces to tap into and exploit the huge potential offered by emerging technology quickly and cost effectively.

Interview: EXCLUSIVE: Merseyside Chief Constable Andy Cooke talks to Policing Insight about why forces need to increase their use of Stop and Search, why fighting serious and organised crime needs large scale investment and what it is that keeps him awake at night.

Opinion: On the day the Home Office published the Frontline Review on officers' views, including wellbeing, at the Police Federation's headquarters, CEO of PoliceBox Simon Hall happened to be there holding a workshop on police ICT with frontline officers. Their message, he says, was clear - reduce bureaucracy by improving police ICT and wellbeing will improve too.

Opinion: The Home Office has published its much-anticipated Frontline Review, but the service has seen many reviews many of which have resulted in little change so what's different about this one? Policing Insight's Editor Tina Orr-Munro takes a look.

Insight: Scrutiny is an essential element of effective police governance, but how do you implement a process that is open and wide-ranging and genuinely supports improvement in a force? Policy and Assurance Advisor for Dyfed-Powys OPCC Claire Bryant and the OPCC team have introduced a new scrutiny framework that aims to do just that.

Opinion: The mental health of armed Ministry of Defence police officers has deteriorated to such an extent that it 'risks catastrophic consequences' according to the Defence Federation Chairman. Eamon Keating calls on his force to urgently improve care for its frontline officers.

opinion: CEO of PoliceBox Simon Hall examines how adopting a 'cloud first' approach will enable the police service to fulfil ambitious goals outlined in Policing Vision 2025.

OPINION: Surveillance cameras are part of the security landscape in the UK, but as the technology has been miniaturised, new types of cameras have emerged. Prof. William Webster of the University of Stirling argues that all of us need to take part in the debate as to where regulators should draw a line in the sand.

interview: The recent threat by Extinction Rebellion to disrupt Heathrow airport with multiple drones has highlighted the risk drones pose to safety and security. Drone detection expert and Director of Saher (UK) David Fortune explains to Policing Insight how the police can mitigate the risk of rogue drone incursions.

Interview: Sheffield Hallam University has teamed up with South Yorkshire Police to offer three separate routes into policing. The University's Head of Policing Principal Lecturer Paul Berry explains the differences between the courses and why he would have leapt at the opportunity to do the police apprenticeship degree.

opinion: With the Police and Crime Commissioner elections set for 2020, Dr Steve Watts draws on research and his own experience as a PCC candidate to question the democratic legitimacy of PCCs and the obstacles independent candidates face when running for office.

INTERVIEW: Chief Inspector Phil Vickers is Lincolnshire Police’s rural crime lead and the co-ordinator of policing’s first national strategy on hare coursing - the illegal hunting of hares with greyhounds. He tells Policing Insight what impact the new national strategy will have and why it matters that hare coursing is taken seriously.

opinion: Resourcing Manager at British Transport Police Tom Webb-Skinner examines the essential differences between positive action (PA) and positive discrimination (PD) and what the police can do to lessen the confusion that surrounds this. Tom’s views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of British Transport Police.

OPINION: New Zealand Police has established the world's first Evidence-Based Policing Service Centre. New Zealand Police’s Deputy Chief Executive Service Delivery Mark Evans OBE explains why it was set up and how Evidence-Based Policing is helping New Zealand 'be the safest country'.

opinion: The police can be heavily criticised for adopting what is called the warrior mentality of an "us versus them" approach to policing communities. RCMP Inspector Kevin Cyr looks at the nuances of this approach - and why we shouldn't give up on it altogether if we want to keep communities and police officers safe.

Interview: Kent-based charity Dads Unlimited has recently been awarded £20,000 by Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott to help reduce police demand. Its founder and chief executive Nav Mirza tells Policing Insight how proper support for fathers involved in custody disputes eases the pressure on frontline policing.

OPINION: Police forces are increasingly moving towards cloud-first solutions to data storage. Troy Batley of Chorus Intelligence outlines the benefits of storing police data in the cloud.

Insight: While news headlines often focus on those forces that are failing to record crimes, HMICFRS has judged two forces as 'outstanding' for their crime recording practices. We take a closer look at one of those forces to see how they achieved the top rating.

OPINION: Crime on university campuses has made headlines in the US - but are we neglecting real risks here in the UK? Dr Brian Moss of Coventry University outlines the vulnerabilities of student life and accommodation and warns that university security needs closer attention.

Interview: Following the terrorist attacks in New Zealand and Sri Lanka, international counter-extremism expert Dr Richard Burchill explains to Policing Insight the importance of understanding the root causes of extremism as well as enhancing physical security to combat terrorism.

Opinion: Virtual courts have been heralded as a route to quicker and more effective justice, but Penelope Gibbs of Transform Justice says there is no support within policing to oversee the running of these courts.

OPINION: Policing Insight publisher and Bedfordshire resident, Bernard Rix, was in the audience for last week's innovative "public selection" of the next Bedfordshire Chief Constable. Here, he reflects on what he learned...