Analysis

LONG READ: A research collaboration between Forensic Analytics and criminal justice consultancy Crest Advisory is exploring the role of technology in the criminal exploitation of children by ‘county lines’ gangs; in this first long-read article from the research, Joe Caluori and Beth Mooney consider what law enforcement agencies can learn from the early use of tech by county lines operators.

ANALYSIS: In the latest in our series of articles on continuing professional development in policing, Dr Emma Williams of the Open University’s Centre for Policing Research explores the importance of CPD in wellbeing, particularly in relation to equipping officers with the skills, knowledge and learning required to investigate complex rape cases and sexual offences more effectively.

ANALYSIS: As new footage continues to highlight horrific images of the devastation wrought by the Russian military in Ukraine, preparations are already underway to ensure that war criminals can be prosecuted post-conflict; Policing Insight contributor Gareth Bryon, and former police detective and war crime investigator Howard Tucker, consider the challenges facing those trying to build a case, and the processes involved.

FEATURE: The latest report from the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse has highlighted a “large and growing gap” between the estimated prevalence of child sexual abuse in England and Wales and the official recorded figures, as well as “significant” regional variations in both child protection plans and the levels of offences recorded by police, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

ANALYSIS: Established in 2017, the police super-complaint process allows designated bodies to raise concerns about policing practices which harm the public; policing expert Ben Twomey takes an in-depth look at the impact the new process could have, and also explores how the Criminal Justice Alliance super-complaint against s60 stop and searches has developed.

LONG READ: The recent Strategic Review of Policing called for those facing a charge for drugs possession to be ‘consistently diverted toward a social intervention and away from the criminal justice system’; independent consultant Geoff Monaghan takes a closer look at what the recommendation means, and considers whether this represents a new route or well-worn track for drug misusing offenders.

ANALYSIS: As the UK Government considers its response to the consultation on a new Victims’ Bill, fresh research has highlighted the barriers to justice faced by those who speak English as a second language – including victims arrested as offenders because of interpretation errors – as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: As recent terrorist attacks in Israel have increased tensions again in the region, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks back at the first incident of exported terrorism from the UK – the 2003 bombing of Mike’s Place in Tel Aviv – and considers how such events have shaped the country’s counter-terror stance and response to home-grown terrorism.

ANALYSIS: A new survey of UK counter-fraud teams has highlighted a surging crime generating huge volumes of data, with specialists struggling to secure investment in technology and recruit staff; but despite the challenges, the report also points to pockets of best practice and opportunities to improve prevention, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

ANALYSIS: The recent controversies around ‘shameful’ behaviour and policing failings in the Metropolitan Police Service have prompted a wider debate about policing culture and identity across UK forces; in this article Professor Simon Robinson and Dr Jonathan Smith argue the need for policing to establish a clearer professional identity, with the lead taken nationally rather than left to be addressed by individual forces.

ANALYSIS: Despite travel restrictions imposed during Covid – and with the war in Ukraine now sparking a refugee exodus – criminal networks smuggling people into Europe increased their activity in 2021 after several years of declining figures, according to the latest Europol Migrant Smuggling Centre Report; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the report and highlights its key findings.

ANALYSIS: The New York Police Department and Mayor of New York, Eric Adams, are caught on the horns of a dilemma – how to tackle the city’s spiralling gun crime while controlling the community resentment created by years of overzealous law enforcement; Policing Insight contributors Gareth Bryon and Dr Dorothy Moses Schulz explore the strategies that Mr Adams and NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell will use to re-balance public safety concerns.

ANALYSIS: With artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly utilised in policing, regulation and governance of the new technology, as well as recognition of its limitations, will be crucial if communities are to support its wider use; Analyst Dr Teagan Westendorf of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute takes a closer look at the implications of AI for policing in Australia.

ANALYSIS: The recent State of Policing report presented by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Tom Winsor was his last in the role; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks back at what has changed during his decade in post, and what will need to change moving forwards to secure the strategic improvements in UK policing that both the police and public are looking for.

ANALYSIS: In the latest in our series of articles on continuing professional development in policing, Dr Emma Williams of the Open University’s Centre for Policing Research and Learning and Dr Tom Cockcroft of Leeds Beckett University examine the vital role that tutor constables play in supporting new recruits, and what more the service should do to provide structure and purpose for police tutoring programmes.

ANALYSIS: A recent operation backed by Europol and Eurojust saw police arrest more than 100 organised crime suspects in Latvia and Lithuania, and close down a scam call centre operation generating millions of euros; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the operation itself, and how European collaborations are playing a vital role in tackling financial crime and large-scale money laundering.

ANALYSIS: Increasing police numbers can reduce crime rates, yet England and Wales have one of the lowest officer-population ratios in Europe; with crime likely to become increasingly complex, Social Market Foundation Senior Researcher Richard Hyde calls on police and policymakers to invest further in workforce recruitment, to contain and reduce the current high levels of crime.

ANALYSIS: As the conflict in Ukraine continues, so too does the pressure to ensure that international crimes committed during the Russian invasion are fully investigated and prosecuted; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the steps being taken by EU states to establish the collaboration and co-operation needed to respond to such crimes, and the role law enforcement is likely to play in bringing people to justice.

ANALYSIS: Officers of the Nigeria Police Force are considering industrial action to protest against the lack of funding, low salaries and poor working conditions they face; Dr Lanre Ikuteyijo, Senior Lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University and a police affairs expert, explains the implications of the strike, and how Nigeria can improve the welfare of its police officers.

FEATURE: Five years after the Westminster Bridge attack in which PC Keith Palmer and four members of the public died, a new review by Lord Toby Harris into London’s preparedness and ability to respond to potential terror attacks has found “very substantial progress” – but warns against complacency, and highlights the damaging impact of austerity and funding cuts on counter-terror policing and wider partnership networks, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

FEATURE: An independent report into the UK’s efforts to target illicit profits from the illegal wildlife trade has called for a more nuanced, consistent and multi-level analytical approach to counter the laundering of illicit proceeds, as Policing Insight’s Chris Allen reports.

FEATURE: The COVID-19 pandemic has seen an increase in cybercrime and online fraud, and with it a new, complex scam involving dating sites and cryptocurrencies; PhD candidate and Research Fellow Carlo Handy Charles explains how organised crime has pioneered the sophisticated ‘pig-butchering’ scams.

ANALYSIS: In the latest in our series of articles on continuing professional development (CPD) in policing, Dr Ahmed Kadry and Jo Lambert of the Open University’s Policing Organisation and Practice team explore the opportunities for expanding the Police Education Qualification Framework to include special constables, and the benefits this could bring – both for forces and for individual officers.

ANALYSIS: With the electronic communications landscape changing significantly and quickly, existing legislation covering law enforcement electronic surveillance has struggled to keep pace; Analyst Dr Teagan Westendorf and specialist Jocelinn Kang, both of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, take a closer look at the country’s planned legislative reform around electronic surveillance, and why balancing security and liberty will be essential in any new law.