INSIGHT: As we approach the annual Police ICT Summit, Policing Insight asks police leaders and ICT stakeholders what they believe are the biggest challenges facing Police ICT and what they hope the Summit might achieve.
ANALYSIS: Attitudes towards and the treatment of mental health in the Australian police have changed over the years. However, after 20,000 police and emergency workers responded 'Answering the Call', the first national survey of mental health in this sector, former UK police officer and now Research Fellow at Western Sydney University Alan Beckley says the police still have a long way to go.
Opinion: People are policing's greatest asset, but former officer and now CEO of Mightify Tom Wheelhouse argues the service must be more creative and look for better ways to prevent 'the double whammy of capability and cost walking out of the door'.
Opinion: The creation of the Northern 8 Police Research Partnership is transforming the relationship between police and academics, bringing unique perspectives and practical solutions to policing issues. Policing Insight contributor and Senior Research Fellow at CENTRIC Andrew Staniforth takes a closer look at the N8 PRP.
13th January 2019
ANALYSIS: Though the number of recorded crimes is rising, the proportion of those crimes that are detected is falling. Professor Marian FitzGerald of the University of Kent explores the figures.
Opinion: When freelance mental health consultant and writer Toni joined a night shift in December, she found officers suffering 'frustration fatigue' and a job that 'curates and nurtures' poor mental health. However, she argues that solely promoting resilience is not the solution.
LONG READ: Can history help tackle current policing issues? Devon and Cornwall Police Superintendent Jim Gale examines how the police service's rich heritage can support today's police leaders in maintaining the centuries-old 'social contract' between police and public.
OPINION: The issue of disclosure has made its way into the public domain, thanks to the collapse of high-profile trials. Mark Bedding, a former police officer now with Chorus Intelligence, argues that many police officers already have access to the technology they need to make disclosure simpler.
Analysis: Following a number of suicides, Canada's police leaders are increasingly recognising the need to offer its frontline staff 'a continuum of support and services' throughout their career. PwC Director of Public Safety and Justice Tara Macpherson examines what progress is being made on this.
4th January 2019
OPINION: As Israel joins the Netherlands and Canada in legalising medicinal cannabis, serving officer Martin Gallagher warns that there are significant and largely unexplored potential consequences of legalisation - not least, the future for organised crime groups currently operating in the cannabis trade.
ANALYSIS: The drone-related shutdown at Gatwick has exposed fault lines in the multi-agency threat and risk assessment prioritisation processes at UK airports. Andrew Staniforth, Board Member and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre of Excellence in Terrorism, Resilience, Intelligence & Organised Crime Research (CENTRIC), takes a look at the implications...
Interview: Mental ill health still carries a stigma and officers and staff, reluctant to admit they might be struggling, often don't know where to turn. Policing Insight speaks to Judith Broug, the co-founder of the App Backup Buddy, about the barriers to seeking support and how Backup Buddy can help.
18th December 2018
2018 REVIEW: As 2018 draws to a close, Policing Insight's editorial team highlight some of their favourite articles from the past year and set them as FREE access for all our readers to enjoy during the holiday period
OPINION: As part of the Home Office's Frontline Review, a series of #wecops chats were hosted over the last few months to help get officers' input. The aim of this discussion, hosted by @TACCSteveGraham, and written up by Insp. Dan Reynolds, was to explore the role of leadership in modern policing.
Opinion: Following a two-year battle with the Ministry of Justice for the release of a report into digital courts, Director of Transform Justice Penelope Gibbs says not all the risks highlighted in that report have been mitigated.
Interview: Police users have been complaining for years about the fact that systems can’t talk to each other: it’s also been a recurring complaint in Policing Insight’s police ICT user survey. Now a group of suppliers have come forward to say that things don’t need to be this way and the solution is surprisingly simple. Here, Policing Insight talks to one of them, Clare Elford, Managing Director of Clue which supplies investigation case management software to many forces and other organisations.
Opinion: Cuts to vital local community services have put the police service under increasing pressure as it attempts to plug the gaps. Firesouls CEO Dan Ebanks says the Social Value Act 2018 may provide the answer to getting more resources into local organisations that, in turn, would alleviate some of those pressures.
INSIGHT: The College of Policing states officers and staff reporting concerns about a colleague should be fully supported through the process, but for one individual who ‘blew the whistle’ the reality was very different. Here is their story.
