Analysis

FEATURE: A new report from the Garda Policing Authority on the performance of the service has highlighted the need for sustained investment and an “overarching framework” for the introduction and use of technology, as well as continuing efforts to address challenges around recruitment and retention, to maintain An Garda Síochána’s progress on service delivery, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A new report from the Northern Ireland Policing Board exploring the relationship between children and young people and the Police Service of Northern Ireland has urged the Service to engage more effectively with youngsters who may often be vulnerable to influence and control from paramilitary and organised crime groups, with the role of neighbourhood officers and a rethink of the use of stop and search among key steps to improve that engagement, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: The Australian Government published a new counter-terrorism (CT) and counter-violent extremism (CVE) strategy last month, with surprisingly little publicity; Henry Campbell of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) believes that the new document is both light on CT policy and lacking in strategy, and fails to meet the new and evolving terrorist threat facing Australia.

FEATURE: The trial of the architect of the 9/11 terror attacks was halted again last month, after the US government blocked a plea deal that would have seen Khalid Sheikh Mohammed escape the death penalty; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks back at the planning of what was described as “the most egregious criminal act on American soil in modern history”, and why the trial of the man who has admitted masterminding those events has still not come to conclusion 23 years later.

INNOVATION: Operation Makesafe is the nationwide policing initiative working with hotels and accommodation providers across England and Wales to target and prevent premises being used for child sexual exploitation (CSE); Richard Fewkes, Director of the Hydrant Programme and the CSE Taskforce, explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about how the initiative works, and the potential to expand to other sectors including fast-food outlets, taxi companies and vape shops.

ANALYSIS: London Policing College Senior Lecturer and Consultant Dr Chris Allen explores the key terrorism threats facing the UK from ideological, religious and political perpetrators as well as state actors, and looks at the projected trends over the coming 12 months.

FEATURE: A recent evaluation of the roll out of the ‘Right Care, Right Person’ approach to responding to mental health crises has identified savings in police time allowing forces to free up resources for other priorities – but challenges around decision-making, communications, and the funding and capacity constraints for other agencies are also hampering the effective implementation of the scheme across England and Wales, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A new report by the Queensland Human Rights Commission warns that Queensland Police Service must address issues of “systemic” discrimination and inequality that have become “deeply entrenched” in its culture if the organisation is to recruit and retain the talent it needs to deliver the level of service required in modern policing, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: The recent wildfires sweeping across Southern California highlight the importance of efficient and effective disaster management; in the wake of this tragedy, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the latest European initiative to harness the benefits of drone technology to provide disaster management agencies and first responders including police with up-to-date and accurate information that can improve resilience, response and recovery in the face of such catastrophes.

OPINION: The trial and sentencing of Axel Rudakubana for the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport in 2024 has once again ignited a debate about what constitutes terrorism in the UK; Dr Alan Greene, Reader in Constitutional Law and Human Rights at the University of Birmingham, argues that widening the already broad legal definition of terrorism would confuse the law and increase the existing heavy reliance on the discretion of the police, courts and government as to which incidents are deemed terrorist in nature.

OPINION: Birmingham University Associate Professor Dr Tara Lai Quinlan argues that the disproportionate policing in England and Wales of people of colour – particularly children – and other under-represented groups can be challenged and changed through active bureaucratic representation, where officers from such under-represented groups are empowered to ensure that institutional policies and practices benefit their communities of origin, either at group or individual levels.

FEATURE: The first report in a two-part review of the police response to extensive disorder across England and Wales last summer has praised officers for their “immense bravery”, but has highlighted concerns over the capacity and capability of forces to respond to such widespread violent disorder, the speed with which resources are mobilised, and the wellbeing support for frontline officers, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: While the work of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU) has been lauded in some quarters, Janine Ewen – a specialist in trauma, public health, policing and harm reduction – argues that many communities in Scotland outside of Glasgow have yet to benefit from the work of the SVRU, with the failure to identify and support community-led local initiatives highlighting the gap between the theory and practice of this public health approach.

FEATURE: A new study by the Australian Institute of Criminology exploring the views of victim/survivors of coercive control finds that the overwhelming majority back calls for such actions and manipulation to be criminalised to enable earlier and more effective interventions by police and others in the criminal justice system, despite acknowledging fears over disproportionality, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: Recent events in Manchester highlighted the strained relationship between police and members of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities; Lee Curran, Lecturer in Policing at Liverpool John Moores University, Dr Dan Allen, Principal Social Work Lecturer at Liverpool Hope University, and Dr Julie Feather, Senior Research Fellow at Edge Hill University explore the reciprocated tension, fear and mistrust between community members and law enforcement, and outline the suggestions for a four-step framework to improve that relationship.

FEATURE: A new report from the Youth Endowment Fund suggests that more than two thirds of teenagers support the use of stop and search by police across England and Wales, while those with direct contact with officers are more likely to believe the police do a good job – but responses vary with ethnicity and age, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: As the Pacific Islands has increasingly become a transit hub and a destination for drug trafficking, the impact on the male workforce – including in the recruitment of male police officers – could worsen significantly; policing and law enforcement specialist Dr Melissa Jardine looks at the implications for both policing and the communities in the Islands, and what steps can be taken to tackle the issue.

FEATURE: Speaking at the recent Senior Women In Policing conference, Vanisha Mistry, Chair of the National Women of Colour in Policing group, has called on police leaders to address the barriers which prevent career progression for women of colour in the service, and to invest in the pipeline of future leaders, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: With police forces in England and Wales already voicing fears over funding for the coming financial year, the autumn budget statement and additional £1 billion for policing announced just before Christmas eased some concerns, but still highlighted significant differences in financial resources; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at what the budget and announcement means for forces, why some will benefit while others struggle, the vagaries of the police funding formula, and the challenges ahead.

INTERVIEW: Assistant Chief Constable Martin Brunning, Chair of the Investigator Wellbeing Sub-group of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Recruitment, Retention and Wellbeing of Investigators portfolio, and Sarah Jayne Bray, the portfolio Programme Manager, spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the need for a strategic approach to staff wellbeing, the importance of line managers prioritising one-to-ones with their staff, and how best practice identified in investigator wellbeing can be applied across the workforce.

FEATURE: A report examining the findings from six multi-agency joint targeted area inspections into the response to serious youth violence has highlighted policing inconsistencies as well as wider multi-agency safeguarding failings that are putting youngsters at risk of harm, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Recent reports of a rise in violent offences in Scotland against an apparent backdrop of record low crime rates support the suggestion that the country’s real crime figures are much higher than acknowledged, argues former Police Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher, and – added to inefficiencies in the courts, falling officer numbers and an overflowing prison estate – could see the problems facing the Scottish criminal justice system turn into a crisis.

FEATURE: Dr Usman A. Ojedokun, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, explores some of the context and contributing factors to the continuing problem of police impersonation in Nigeria, the impact it has on both the community and the Nigeria Police Force, and what steps can be taken to tackle the issue.

FEATURE: A new report on future trends in online fraud, part of a research project carried out by Crest Advisory, the Police Foundation and the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research at Birkbeck, University of London, warns that the growing use of artificial intelligence could trigger an “arms race” between criminals and law enforcement, and calls for a shift from reactive to anticipatory strategies to tackle online fraud, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.