Opinion

Opinion: We will never get police funding right unless we answer the bigger questions, says President of the Police Superintendents’ Association Paul Griffiths.

Opinion: An increasing number of policing functions could easily be automated, but forces are too focused on police numbers. Former Deputy Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Paul Kennedy argues that budgets spent on recruiting more police officers should be redirected into embracing these new and emerging technologies.

Opinion: Remember a decade ago when Blackberry devices were all the rage and the iphone was only into its second generation? Simon Hall, CEO, Coeus Software, takes a look at how police technology has moved on since 2009 and where we might be in ten years time.

OPINION: British policing has included volunteers for nearly 200 years - but what can it learn from others, and vice versa? A new research partnership between the UK and Japan will explore the possibilities: Matthew Callender, Laura Knight, Iain Britton, Kimihiro Hino and Mamoru Amemiya explain.

INTERVIEW: The terror attack in New Zealand has exposed fault lines in the prevention of extreme right-wing related terrorism. Ahead of the forthcoming review of the UK’s Prevent strategy, researcher Neda Richards talks to Policing Insight about the findings of her unique research analysing preventative counter-terrorism policing and the impact of community engagement on public cooperation.

OPINION: Data is the oxygen of police efficiency and effectiveness and how it is used is enormously important, but too many forces are playing catch up in adopting data-driven technology, says HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services Sir Tom Winsor.

OPINION: How can police forces integrate EBP into their daily working practices? Insp. Roger Pegram, GMP EBP Tactical Lead and Vice Chair of the Society of Evidence-Based Policing (SEBP), discusses the aims, ambition and approach to delivering change at the frontline.

Opinion: Automatic facial recognition (AFR) systems can provide new ways to protect the public, but public support and reassurance rests on a transparent and robust regulatory framework governing its use, says Surveillance Camera Commissioner Tony Porter.

OPINION: Policing is under pressure, meaning that officers push themselves to the limit. But is this wise? Serving officer Colin Paine argues that police cannot afford to see taking breaks as a luxury, but instead need to see them as a central part of serving the public.

OPINION: John Gili-Ross is Chairman of the National Association of Police Fire and Crime Panels. He explores the evolution of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and the increasingly important role Police, Fire and Crime Panels play in holding PCCs to account.

Opinion: There has been a 40 per cent decline in intelligence analysts since 2010. Former GMP Assistant Chief Constable and now CoPaCC Director Ian Wiggett attended the National Intelligence Conference in Cardiff where he found local intelligence provision is coming under increasing pressure.

OPINION: The emergence of County Lines demonstrates that criminals can operate beyond their usual geographical limits. However, police ICT struggles to do the same. Richard Helson, Customer Relationship Director at Chorus Intelligence calls for police to improve their agility by integrating better on a force-to-force basis.

OPINION: The Momo challenge that allegedly caused children to commit dangerous acts has proven to be an online hoax, but Greater Manchester Police T/Insp Stevie Swindells says the police missed an opportunity to nip the problem in the bud and use the hoax to educate the vulnerable on fraud and cyber awareness.

OPINION: The Prime Minister has said that there is no connection between rising knife crime and falling police numbers. Former Chief Superintendent John Sutherland says she is wrong; and that she has been wrong about policing at almost every point along the way.

OPINION: The one voice that isn't heard in national debates about policing and crime is that of ordinary officers. Doctoral researcher Ashley Kilgallon of the University of Leeds describes this 'disqualified knowledge' and calls for incorporating it into a more informed debate about the complex problems of policing.

OPINION: Women police officers have come a long way from guarding young women's morals and caring for children. But are they still facing a greater burden than male officers? On International Women's Day, Carina O'Reilly of Anglia Ruskin University examines how far we've come.

INTERVIEW: New technology is accelerating the police service's ability to respond to the challenge of policing in a digital age, but Matthew Cooper, Global Offering Management Director at Hitachi Vantara tells Policing Insight the service should demand more from the different IT suppliers.

OPINION: Former Deputy Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police and now an independent advisor on police and technology Paul Kennedy unpacks the challenges of digital evidence and asks if solution lies in greater automation through robotics.

OPINION: The prospect of a no-deal Brexit is still looming, with the risk of the police being seriously overstretched dealing with its consequences. James Treadwell of Staffordshire University and John Lamb of Birmingham City University explore how the armed forces could step in to take up some of the burden - and the risks of such a move.

Interview: Police Now's training credentials are well established, having trained hundreds of young graduates in neighbourhood policing roles since 2015. Now the Home Office is looking to the organisation to help solve the shortage of detectives, estimated to be around 5,000. Is Police Now up to the task?

Interview: CoPaCC's Police ICT User Survey revealed the depth of discontent among frontline officers and staff with their ICT provision, but what also emerged was a lack of consultation with some users before they are given a new piece of 'kit'. Police Federation lead on technology Simon Kempton argues the frontline should have a greater say in IT procurement decisions for the benefit of the public, police and suppliers.

OPINION: What lessons can international military command offer to policing? Serving officer Martin Gallagher reports from a personal conversation with Gen. David Petraeus.

INTERVIEW: Child death is such a complex area of policing that it has its own sub group within the NPCC Homicide Working Group. As it prepares for its annual conference, NPCC lead on child death Det Chief Supt Eamonn Bridger explains the challenges of investigating this difficult area of policing.

OPINION: Police tactics may disrupt drug supplies, but they cause more crime and even contribute to the use of children as a go-between in county lines, undermining Peel's principles, says former Detective Sergeant and Chair of LEAP UK Neil Woods who argues it's time for drugs laws to be reformed.