Features

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.

INNOVATION: Humberside T/ACO Justin Partridge leads NETIC, a seven-force collaboration in the north east and the single largest regional collaboration the police service in England and Wales has ever attempted. But with cross-force collaborations enjoying mixed success, Policing Insight asks - why will NETIC succeed where others have failed?

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.

analysis: Ten years ago, a WHO report urged governments to look at long-term social policy solutions to knife crime rather than view it as a policing issue. With a number of cities in the UK in the grip of a knife crime epidemic, Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth explains how this can be achieved.

Insight: It's day two of the Police Governance Summit 2019. Once again we will be live blogging the conference which will be taking a look at governance in other jurisdictions as well as the lessons learnt from police and fire mergers and how evidence can inform practice.

Insight: The second annual Police Governance Summit is taking place in Daventry this week. Policing Insight will be live blogging from the two-day event covering a range of issues from measuring performance, financial resilience and the critical relationship between chief constables and police and crime commissioners.

Analysis: The government has proposed legislation banning police cells as a place of safety for those detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, but with just 163 health-based places available and over 30,000 people detained under the Act, Daniel Moloney of the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice at Northampton University examines the impact the legislation could have on policing.

Opinion: The police and MI5 are independent of each other but often collaborate closely especially on counter-terrorism. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth outlines the repercussions that MI5's recent breach of data security law will have for the police service.

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.

Analysis: Women offenders interact with the criminal justice system in unique ways and have specific vulnerabilities that set them apart from other offenders. Crest Advisory's Sophie du Mont offers PCCs and policy makers five tips to improving outcomes for women offenders by looking at what works best for them.

Advertisement feature: Police officers and staff need innovative tools to help them to tackle the increasing challenges that the role of policing brings, especially when it comes to handling and managing the ever-increasing amount of digital evidence being generated. Read more about how digital evidence management, or DEM, plays a crucial role in helping officers to identify suspects, solve investigations and fight crime.

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.

Analysis: Neighbourhood policing and community engagement are the cornerstones of policing, but Managing Director of Intensive Engagement Richard James argues there needs to be a better approach to engagement although it will take a fundamental shift by both the police and their partners.

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.

Analysis: Several high-profile suspensions of Chief Constables by Police and Crime Commissioners have shone a spotlight on the apparent lack of guidance, scrutiny and transparency in the process. Has the time come for Police and Crime Panels to play a greater role in the proceedings?

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.

analysis: The nature of crime is ever-changing and increasingly complex. The National Crime Agency has warned that, when it comes to innovation in policing, it is either sink or swim. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth urges the UK to look to the Netherlands as an example of innovation done well.

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.