Analysis

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: In the latest of the series of articles from the UCL Jill Dando Institute, Dr Lisa Tompson and Dr Jyoti Belur examine the effect of stalking on victims during the lockdown and how agencies are working to address this.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: The COVID-19 pandemic has been exploited by some criminals selling fake medical and health products. Dr. Manja Nikolovska and Professor Shane Johnson, Director at the Dawes Centre for future crime at UCL, examine how criminals have preyed on people's fear and vulnerability and how this type of crime can be prevented.

Analysis: The UK is going through an unprecedented time. Barely out of austerity, it has had to contend with a pandemic alongside the impact of events happening elsewhere in the world. Professor Peter Joyce and Dr Wendy Laverick look back over the last few months and examine some of the triggers that could lead to widespread disorder.

Analysis: As the world comes to terms with the impact of Covid-19, Professor Karl Roberts, Professor Alex Broadbent and Professor Benjamin Smart examine how some African countries have policed the lockdown.

Analysis: The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has led to calls for police departments in the US to be 'defunded'. Professor of Sociology at George Washington University Ronald Weitzer takes a closer look at whether defunding the police is the answer.

Analysis: Accenture Public Safety Managing Director James Slessor explores how public safety agencies responded to the pressures created by the pandemic and how agencies need to search out and embrace sustainable ways of working in what is now a 'never normal' environment.

Analysis: In the wake of the death of George Floyd in the U.S, tensions over racial discrimination have spread across the world, including Australia. Emma Thomas, Associate Professor at Flinders University, examines the policing of protests and why some turn violent.

Analysis: Professor Karl Roberts examines the statistics on police suicide in Australia and considers how both workplace culture and stress can prove harmful to police officers' mental health.

Analysis: Professor Karl Roberts takes a closer look at hostage negotiation and examines whether a rigid policy of non-negotiation and police aggression is the only way to deal with terrorist hostage takers.

Analysis: Already a serious problem for society, domestic abuse in all its forms has been exacerbated by the lockdown. Policing commentator Mark Brown says now is the time to implement a nationwide strategy similar CONTEST, the Government's counter-terror strategy, to tackle this 'epidemic within the pandemic'.

ANALYSIS: The tragic death of George Floyd while in the custody of officers from the Minneapolis police department in US highlights the differences between US and UK policing but a common issue is the under representation of black and minority ethnic (BAME) in their ranks. Dr Daniel Silverstone and Dominique Walker from Liverpool John Moores University discuss the progress of improving diversity in UK policing.

ANALYSIS: Transform Justice's latest report reveals 99% of detentions are authorised by the custody sergeant. Director of Transform Justice Penelope Gibbs says the statistics suggest too many detentions are the result of a 'tick-box exercise' and it is time for a conversation about how custody decisions are made and scrutinised.

Analysis: The police service has shifted direction in the last twelve months with the announcement of an extra 20,000 officers and the creation of a new National Policing Board. Deloitte's Frances Lysak explores the findings of their latest report on what this might mean for Police and Crime Commissioners.

Analysis: As part of his role in assessing the digital fitness of police forces to manage the growth of digital channels, Steve Norris, Police Market Director for Salesforce UK says recurring issues around transparency, the democratisation of data and the technical debt are holding some forces back.

Analysis: Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth examines how Police Scotland is tackling online child sexual exploitation during the Covid-19 lockdown alongside the wider challenges of combating the tens of thousands of websites hosting child abuse images.

Analysis: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises a report by Europol on how Covid-19 will shape serious and organised crime landscape in the EU beyond the pandemic.

ANALYSIS: For the final article in our series on police workforce numbers in England & Wales, Ian Wiggett revisits his first article, which forecast likely officer numbers for each force in 2023, to take into account data just published by the Home Office that clarifies the calculations used to measure progress in recruiting the planned 20,000 uplift in officers.

Analysis: Senior Business Manager at Frazer-Nash Consultancy Martin Soltau says that current discussions among chief constables about the future of police air support represent a rare and significant opportunity to transform a service that is exceptionally valuable – and extremely complex.

Analysis: Many countries are beginning to ease lockdown restrictions, but as the world charts a path out of the pandemic, the future remains uncertain for all including policing. Assistant Director of Strategic Foresight for the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA) Mike Richmond examines the different post-pandemic 'scenarios' that law enforcement may be faced with in the coming months and years.

Analysis: While many forces have trialled alternative energy vehicles, Gloucestershire Constabulary is now the trailblazer for UK policing, with electric vehicles (EVs) making up more than 20% of its fleet. Policing Insight spoke to Head of Transport Services Steve Imms about all things electric – including rural charging infrastructure, range anxiety EV response capability, and the holy grail of alternative fuelling.

ANALYSIS : The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for policing are far-reaching. Dr Liz Aston, Director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR), explores some of them further, particularly from a Scottish perspective.

Analysis: In the fourth article of our series looking at police workforce numbers in England and Wales, Ian Wiggett examines the current police funding formula and how it increases disparity between forces, impacting decisions, including recruitment.

EXCLUSIVE: As the government begins to ease some Covid-19 restrictions, including allowing people to meet in parks, what does this mean for policing? In an exclusive article, Professor Clifford Stott and others* explore the huge challenges 'liberalisation' presents policing and how policing can maintain legitimacy.

Analysis: USA: Covid-19 has presented law enforcement with huge challenges, but Dr. Joseph A. Cortez, Associate Professor at the University of Southern California and Lieutenant at the Santa Monica Police Department, argues it is also an unprecedented opportunity to switch off 'auto-pilot' and use the lessons learnt to help re-shape the future of policing.