Analysis

ANALYSIS: Following on from a call in 2016 by UN Special Rapporteur Juan E. Mendez for a ‘universal protocol’ on standards for non-coercive interviewing methods, new Principles for Effective Interviewing have now been published; investigative interviewing specialist Professor Ray Bull, a member of the committee which drew up the new principles, explains the reasoning behind them, the standards they set, and the likely impact on good practice in policing.

FEATURES: As the Novichok poisoning in Salisbury three years ago and other chemical agent attacks have highlighted, the CBRN threat can have a real, traumatic and long-lasting impact; Policing Insight’s Andy Staniforth reports on a new joint European initiative to protect shopping malls – potentially a soft target for terrorists and state-sponsored actors – from CBRN attack.

FEATURE: Plans to crackdown on an apparent surge in youth crime in Queensland and the Northern Territories aren’t supported by figures which suggest youth prosecutions are falling, but there is clearly a real problem with recidivism among young offenders: Analyst Dr Teagan Westendorf of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute argues that improving child protection will be more effective in tackling the issue than increasing incarceration.

ANALYSIS : The pandemic has focused attention on our reliance on infrastructure; but organised criminals rarely miss opportunities to 'repurpose' technology. Martin Gallagher, serving officer with Police Scotland, and Chris Foster of the University of Manchester, explore the concept of 'shadow infrastructure' and its dangers.

FEATURE: The recent Europol terrorism report confirmed that violent Jihadism remains a serious concern in the UK, and also redefines ‘Jihadist terrorism’; as Jihadist attacks on soft targets continue, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on why the definition and terminology used is a key issue for law enforcement.

ANALYSIS: DNA and other biometric samples are retained in the UK under clear regulations and an overarching legal framework; but as Post-Doctoral Researcher Karen Richmond of the University of Copenhagen explains, misaligned legislation between England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, means that more than one million samples are being illegally retained – leaving police personnel who enrol those subject onto databases open to litigation.

FEATURE: New research has highlighted the hugely profitable, ‘industrial scale’ wildlife crime taking place in West Africa, co-ordinated largely by organised crime groups, as well as the potential for financial investigators to target the criminals; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the options for tackling a severely damaging global trade, often undertaken at a local level by some of the world’s poorest people.

FEATURE: Wales has been a pioneering country in its public-health approach to policing, but now a multi-agency initiative is aiming to create a truly trauma-informed nation that understands and recognises the impact of adverse childhood experiences, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro reports.

UK PCC Elections 2021: With the final results of the 2021 police and crime commissioner (PCC) election now finally in, Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix looks at the blue wave that seems to have swept across much of the country, and considers the roles and challenges facing both new and returning PCCs.

UK PCC ELECTIONS 2021: As the dust slowly settles on the 2021 police and crime commissioner (PCC) elections, and those in post start to implement their manifestos, Professor Peter Joyce (Wrexham Glyndŵr University) and Dr Wendy Laverick (University of Hull) take a closer look at the election process – who fought on what issues, how the parties fared, the profiles of those now in office, and what the challenges will be for PCCs going forwards.

FEATURE: A six-month secondment to Police Scotland enabled two Vietnamese officers to support the force’s work targeting organised crime groups involved in trafficking people into the country from Vietnam; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons spoke to Detective Superintendent Fil Capaldi, Police Scotland’s lead for modern slavery and human trafficking, about the ‘lawfully audacious and exploratory approach’.

ANALYSIS : Are police and crime commissioners fit for purpose? In the wake of the May elections, Dr Simon Cooper of the University of Essex, unveils new research which suggests stark differences in the calibre of PCCs – with some identified as ‘ill-equipped’ for the job.

ANALYSIS: The results of a recent survey of New Zealand Police Association members have confirmed high levels of post-traumatic stress (PTS) among both serving and former and serving officers, and underlined the need for greater support and services for those experiencing the effects of PTS.

ANALYSIS: A new report by the New Zealand Law Commission has set out 193 recommendations to overhaul the use of DNA in criminal investigation; but Professor Carrie Leonetti of the University of Auckland believes the report still overlooks key issues in the use of the country’s DNA databank in relation to over-representation of Māori, the use of familial searches, and concerns over privacy, discrimination and consent.

FEATURE: A unique collaboration between the UK’s Joint International Policing Hub (JIPH) and the People’s Police Academy in Vietnam has led to a lasting legacy for Vietnamese police training in tackling human trafficking; DI Mark O’Donoghue of the JIPH spoke to Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons about the project.

FEATURE: The idea of drug-filled submarines bringing cocaine from Colombia to Europe may seem more suited to the cinema screen than the Atlantic, but as Policing insight’s Chris Allen reports, recent seizures would suggest that narco-subs built in South America are now able to travel much longer distances, bringing their lethal cargo to a much larger market.

ANALYSIS: A research project to collate audio diaries from serving UK police officers has highlighted the impact that stress and emotional suppression is having on their mental health; Former detective inspector Sarah-Jane Lennie, now a Chartered Psychologist and Researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University, outlines the findings from the project, and the implications for policing and police officers.

FEATURE: The various COVID-19 lockdowns have prompted criminal activity to move increasingly online, with illicit financial transactions following suit; ahead of next week’s We Fight Fraud online conference, Dr Nicola Harding outlines the findings of a new white paper which reveal how low-level criminal commerce is increasingly becoming part of the cashless society.

ANALYSIS: Many people – including police officers – base their ability to detect liars on faulty logic, false promises and unreliable cues; Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Paine, and University of Portsmouth Teaching Fellow Cody Porter, expose some of the myths around lie detection, and highlight the latest evidence-based approaches to identifying the truth.

ANALYSIS: More than a year after Sir Craig Mackey submitted his review of UK serious organised crime, last month the Government published an ‘Executive Summary’ only, adding that plans to tackle SOC would now come under the Integrated Security Review; Policing Insight's Ian Wiggett reports on the challenges, concerns and lack of detail in the fight against organised crime.

FEATURE: In his recently published second review of UK anti-terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall QC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, has called for new police powers to tackle digital encryption; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explains why such powers are desperately needed to keep up with advances in technology.

UK PCC ELECTIONS 2021: With just over two weeks until the police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales, Policing Insight’s in-depth coverage is underway; Policing Insight’s Publisher Bernard Rix takes a look at the likely open contests, safe seats, and those too close to call.

FEATURE: Forty years ago this month, rioting erupted in Brixton – and later in 1981 across the country – leading to one of the most significant inquiries into policing in the UK; in the second half of a two-part feature, Dr Wendy Laverick of Hull University and Professor Peter Joyce of Wrexham Glyndŵr University explore the impact of Lord Scarman’s recommendations, and their legacy on key areas of police reform.

FEATURE: The recent riots in Northern Ireland have been blamed on the Brexit sea border controversy and the decision not to prosecute Republican mourners over a COVID-19 funeral breach; but a recent review of terrorism legislation warns that delays and failures in the country’s criminal justice system could exacerbate the issues, as Policing insight’s Andrew Staniforth explains.