Features

OPINION: A form of predictive policing, the Suspect Targeting Management Plan, has been in operation in Australia for 17 years. Dr Vicki Sentas of the University of New South Wales warns that the programme is racialised, targeted overwhelmingly at young people, and damaging and disruptive to their lives.

Analysis: The Valuing Victims report by Why me? - the national charity campaigning for greater access to Restorative Justice - has revealed wide variations in PCC spending on RJ schemes. Lucy Jaffe, Director of Why me?  takes a closer look at the figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

OPINION: Is the College of Policing working as well as it should be? Serving officer Nathan Constable says the relationship between the College and serving officers is strained, and sets out an urgent plea for the College to reflect and rebuild - before it's too late.

ANALYSIS: A recent study of the police’s use of data has found that UK police forces had access to a vast amount of digital data, but lacked the technological capability to use it effectively. Alexander Babuta of the Royal United Services Institute explores the opportunities presented by big data policing technologies, and the organisational barriers that must be overcome to make effective use of them.

OPINION: Is the Scottish Police Authority too close to the Scottish government - and if so, what does this mean for holding Scottish policing to account? Independent researcher Kath Murray and former president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents Niven Rennie examine the state of the SPA.

ANALYSIS: Crimes recorded by the police are rocketing - yet the Crime Survey of England and Wales shows crime going down. Which is correct? Are they even measuring the same things? Dr Melissa Hamilton of the University of Surrey explains the difference - and what it means for our understanding of crime and police numbers.

Opinion: When an officer is medically retired with an injury on duty award, their financial security should be the least of their worries. However, the Injury On Duty Pensioners Association say police cuts have driven some forces to relentlessly and, in some cases, unlawfully review and reduce their pensions in a bid to save money. 

Opinion: Police crackdowns on prostitution isolate sex workers and undermine their safety. With poverty fuelling prostitution, the English Prostitutes Collective argues decriminalisation is overdue and current resources used to police consenting sex should be redirected into investigating rape and other violent crimes.

OPINION: The Angiolini Review examining deaths and serious incident in police custody was published this week. Police Inspector Michael Brown, author of Mental Health Cop Blog, explores the issues raised by the report.

INTERVIEW: The Police Now programme was first introduced in 2015 and has already trained nearly 400 new graduates to become neighbourhood police officers. This financial year it was awarded £3.5m from the Police Transformation Fund. Programme Director Kurtis Christoforides tells Policing Insight what’s next for the organisation.

OPINION: The successful use of DNA evidence to gain convictions in high profile cases has led to significant investment in databases. But are such databases effective? Carole McCartney and Aaron Opoku Amankwaa of Northumbria University examine the evidence.

OPINION: Will the Mafia (or other organised crime groups) help whoever can pay? What does that mean for the nexus between organised crime and terrorist groups? Serving officer Martin Gallagher argues that the decision goes well beyond the amount of cash on the table.

Opinion: With the mental health of police officers and staff increasingly under the spotlight, Patrick Cairns, CEO of the Police Treatment Centres, explains the benefits of the PTC's Psychological Wellbeing Programme and what more Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners can do to support the PTC's work. 

Analysis: The launch of HMICFRS’s consultation earlier this month on the long-awaited force management statements sets out its ambition to use them as the basis for a new, risk-based form of inspection. But what will this mean for forces – and HMICFRS? Mark Cooper takes a closer look.

ANALYSIS: There is increasing anecdotal evidence that, for serving officers, morale is as low as it's ever been. But what evidence is there to back this up? Serving officer Gareth Stubbs shows that, for officers who joined at the height of recruitment, promotion opportunities have plummeted even as demand is growing - and warns this is a looming problem that needs to be addressed.

Opinion: Allan Fairley, MD, Accenture Police Services explores the issues surrounding the lack of joined up data in the criminal justice system. 

OPINION: What kind of research best informs police practice? It depends on the question. Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University and serving officer Gareth Stubbs explore the pedigree of academic research into the police and the political undercurrents that drive it today.

INSIGHT: In the second of a series of articles, Jonathan Rees, owner of Momoho and an expert in developing high-performing teams in the bluelight sector, examines different ways to prioritise your workload.

OPINION: ENABLE UK is a new participant action research project funded by the N8 Policing Research Partnership (N8 PRP), and run in collaboration with Keele Academic Policing Collaboration (KPAC) involving eight police forces, Police Scotland, and the College of Policing. Chief Superintendent Owen West from West Yorkshire Police and Amanda Jacks from the Football Supporters Federation explain.

ANALYSIS: Former Greater Manchester Police ACC Ian Wiggett and Gavin Hales, Associate Fellow at The Police Foundation review the impact of the pre-charge bail reforms implemented in the Policing and Crime Act in April 2017

LONG READ: The experience of terrorist attacks in the US and in Germany shows us how important it is for police and security agencies to share systems. But what can we learn from those countries that have begun the process of harmonising police ICT? In this Long Read,Hans-Jürg Käser of the Swiss Canton of Berne explores what European countries have done towards consolidating police systems and what can be learned.

OPINION: Debriefing and reflection are integral parts of policing after high profile or major events, but what about in normal, day-to-day policing work? Jennifer Norman and Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University describe their police students' experiences of reflection and its benefits.

INSIGHT: Oliver Gower, Deputy Director of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit warns cybercrime is escalating, its impact on victims is significant and the time is right for forces to ready themselves to meet the threat.

INSIGHT: Civil Aviation Authority certification is a necessity for commercial drone use. Gary Mason looks into the steps towards gaining these qualifications and what the test actually involves