Analysis

ANALYSIS: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Elijah Anderson, Sterling Professor at Yale University, outlines the ‘code of the streets’ that is contribution to a vicious circle of violence that claims victims Black and white, poor and affluent.

FEATURE: The impact of COVID-19 has included changing crime volumes and trends, with forces having to adapt rapidly and implement new ways of working; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett spoke to Cheshire Constabulary’s DCS Gareth Lee and DCI Adam Ross about some of the challenges of tackling and investigating crime during the pandemic, and how the experience could drive lasting change.

ANALYSIS: New research has highlighted the increased frequency and volume of cocaine shipments into Europe from South America; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the reasons behind the changes to the drugs market, and how the trade and trafficking routes are likely to evolve in the future. 

FEATURE: A major report into bullying in New Zealand Police has called for a ‘reset of values’ after highlighting a negative culture of fear and punishment, examples of sexist and racist behaviour, and a ‘boys’ club’ based on power relationships and perpetuated by allegiances, cliques and cronyism; but report author Judge Colin Doherty recognised that the service has ‘turned a corner’ under Commissioner Andrew Coster.

ANALYSIS: The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021 announced by the Government last week looks set to change the nature of protests in the UK, while also placing a greater onus on police to consider the noise and disruption impact of public assemblies, says public order specialist and former Chief Superintendent Owen West.

Analysis: Several US security experts say they now consider domestic extremism a greater threat to the country than international terror. Luis De la Calle examines the elements currently present in US society that could produce what he describes as a low-intensity terrorist conflict led by dissatisfied far-right groups who believe further violence is the only way to counter what they see as federal overreach.

ANALYSIS: Crime networks are laundering the profits from illegal activities such as trafficking in wildlife, timber and people smuggling through casinos; freelance journalist Georgina Kenyon highlights the challenges facing Australia and other countries in tackling the links between serious and organised crime and the gambling industry.

ANALYSIS: When is it acceptable for off-duty officers and staff to engage in protests – and do they need permission to do so? This article by Dr Hannah Maslen, Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University, and Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Paine, Head of Professional Standards at Thames Valley Police – republished from the latest TVP Journal – considers these and other key issues around the rights of officers and staff to engage in public protest.

Analysis: Hateful extremism must be addressed before it manifests itself as violent extremism – as unfolded in the 2019 Christchurch massacre in New Zealand – argues Professor Greg Barton, whose analysis of the Australian response to extremism calls for groups espousing hate that do not reach the threshold of criminality to be tackled, and new ways for police to record complaints that capture hate motivations.

FEATURE: There is growing evidence that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are responsible for many negatives outcomes in adult life, including issues such as violent behaviour and drug addiction; and as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro reports, the failure to address ACEs early can cost society billions of pounds in the long term.

ANALYSIS: A wide range of measures were introduced across the criminal justice system in the UK to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, including greater use of remote legal advice for those in police custody; but as Penelope Gibbs, Director of Transform Justice explains, a new report highlights both the lack of meaningful monitoring of such measures, and their potential to compromise justice and jeopardise fairness.

ANALYSIS: In their second Policy Briefing on the impact of COVID-19 on child exploitation through country lines drug dealing, the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab, in partnership with the De Montford University School of Law, highlight the ability of county lines drug networks to adapt to lockdown conditions, and the effect of pandemic restrictions on the safeguarding and vulnerability of children and young people.

ANALYSIS: Policing in the UK is witnessing a ‘steep and troubling’ rise in the number of officers resigning early in service, citing poor leadership and management, organisational injustice and exhausting working patterns among the reasons for leaving: Dr Sarah Charman – a panellist at this week's Police Foundation workforce conference – and Dr Stephanie Bennett, both of the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, University of Portsmouth, explore the key reasons why officers leave mid-service.

ANALYSIS: The criminal use and manipulation of cryptocurrencies has been a growing threat over recent years, brought into sharper focus by the financial disruption of the pandemic; Eray Arda Akartuna of the Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science at UCL highlights some of the key emerging risks and trends, as well as the steps to be taken to tackle them.

ANALYSIS: In the final part of their trilogy of articles on Canadian policing, Keith Taylor and Dr Barbara Herring of consultants perivale+taylor explore some of the developments and often unique challenges faced by the country’s law enforcement agencies in relation to diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism.

ANALYSIS: Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr-Munro explores the growing efforts to understand and acknowledge the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on adult behaviour, and adopt a public health policing approach.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: One response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been the encouragement of more contactless payment, and with it the increases in transaction limits; but in this latest article from the UCL COVID-19 series, Professor Graham Farrell (University of Leeds) and Professor Nick Tilley (UCL) warn that such moves could lead to a rise in thefts of credit and debit cards and have a lasting effect on crime rates.

ANALYSIS: The economic impact of COVID-19 is set to significantly increase levels of extreme poverty, and with them the volume of vulnerable people likely to fall prey to people trafficking; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the effect of the pandemic on the trade in humans, and the latest efforts to target this transnational crime.

ANALYSIS: Dr George Karystianis and Professor Tony Butler of the University of New South Wales have used data mining techniques to analyse almost half a million police reports of domestic violence, revealing that mental health issues play a key role in the crime for both victims and perpetrators.

Insight: The Police Code of Ethics applies equally to all areas of policing and data should not be considered in isolation as a different topic, argues the NPCC lead on ethics; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons explains his views and those of others seeking to embed transparency around data use in police decision-making.

ANALYSIS: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Professors Jerry Ratcliffe and Evan Sorg – both former police officers – argue that effective use of foot patrol could be the key to re-engaging with communities and reducing violence.

ANALYSIS: Policing Insight’s Chris Allen examines how the pandemic has forced drug traffickers to change tried and tested smuggling routes, and explores how this will impact on the new transit countries as well as the wider European cocaine trade.

Analysis: A layered co-governance framework that co-ordinates police experience, social science expertise and the public perspective is the ideal structure for the implementation of automated facial recognition systems, and as such is urgently required, argues Isabella Duan, Laidlaw Scholar at University College London.

FEATURE: The Coronavirus pandemic has put huge pressures on the criminal justice system, and could have an impact on the courts and policing for many years to come; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons looks at two recent reports that both warn of critical risks and the need for a radical overhaul.