Analysis

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.

FEATURE: In the wake of the jihadist terror attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth examines the concept of ‘leaderless jihad’ and explores the ongoing risk to countries in Europe (and further afield) highlighted by the recent European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report.

ANALYSIS: The use of wearable technology to monitor health and wellbeing continues to expand significantly; Dr Carol Cox, Head of the Liverpool Centre of Advanced Policing Studies at Liverpool John Moore’s University, is leading a research team from the Centre in its work on the police use of such technology, and explains the challenges and benefits identified to date, as well as early indications from the latest study due to be released in April.

INTERVIEW: College of Policing interim Deputy CEO Jo Noakes tells Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass about possible major changes to the promotion process for sergeants and inspectors in England and Wales, and why the “emotive” and “personal” issue of workforce reform needs to be carefully handled.

OPINION: In the second of a two-part article on the police analyst profession, intelligence analysts specialists Dr Scott Keay, Keith Jackson and Steve French examine the findings from a survey by the Association of Crime and Intelligence Analysts (ACIA) about improving the analyst role and how such organisations can support the continuous professional development of analysts.

FEATURE: Delegates at the recent Senior Women in Policing conference had the opportunity to identify challenges female officers are likely to face over the next 25 years, with discussions leading to the creation of a Gender Equality Futures Playbook that forces can use to include in their forward planning, as Sarah-Jayne Bray, Development Officer with the Thames Valley Women’s Network, explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: The latest National Cyber Threat Assessment for Canada highlights the increasing cybercrime risk posed by state actors such as China, Russia and Iran, as well as the growing prevalence of criminals using the cybercrime-as-a-service business model, with ransomware signposted as the top cybercrime threat facing the country’s critical infrastructure, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

OPINION: In this first of a two-part article on the police analyst profession, intelligence analyst specialists Dr Scott Keay, Keith Jackson and Steve French explore the journey of the analyst role over the last 25 years, look at the barriers and challenges that have impacted on that role, and also consider the positive value that good analysis can have.

INNOVATION: In the latest in a series of articles exploring the opportunities and challenges presented to police by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), Chief Philip Lukens explores the potential of artificial general intelligence (AGI) to deliver significant benefits – and the measures that need to be taken to avoid the risks associated with autonomous decision-making.

FEATURE: As law enforcement around the world embarks on meeting the challenges of 2025, Editor Keith Potter looks back over the key issues Policing Insight covered in 2024 – from technological threats and opportunities, to workforce wellbeing, the role of leadership, and the increasing focus on reform – and how these may affect the next 12 months.

OPINION: Knives are the murder weapon of choice within the UK, with the level of knife crime doubling in the 2010s; but while legislation and media headlines have focused on machetes and so-called zombie knives, University of Leeds Professors Graham Farrell and Toby Davies argue that phasing out pointed kitchen knives – used in more than half of murders – would be a much more effective measure.

ANALYSIS: A new report from the Centre for Social Justice is calling on the UK Government to rethink its drug policy and focus on an approach which integrates law enforcement, public health and community support to tackle a crisis of “unprecedented proportions”; but the report also warns that experiences in other countries suggest legalisation is not the answer, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: The Chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce – the organisation now consisting of 15 law enforcement agencies tackling online child sexual exploitation – passed from the UK’s National Crime Agency to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in November; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to AFP Commander Helen Schneider about the goals for the Taskforce over the next three years, and why identifying AI deepfakes and protecting the wellbeing of police investigators will be among the priorities.

FEATURE: The Director General of MI5 recently confirmed that his agency’s counter-terrorism focus would have to be reduced to deal with “much more aggression” from state actors; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the nature of the security threat posed by state actors, and the vital role that policing has to play in combatting that threat.

OPINION: 3D-printed firearms – known as ‘ghost guns’ – have been used in a wide range of criminal incidents by organised crime groups as well as political and religious extremists, with growing numbers of arrests in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia; Professor Nir Kshetri of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro believes that the use of ghost guns in violent and criminal activity will continue to increase, with governments and police facing significant challenges in regulating the firearms.

ANALYSIS: While the recruitment of minors into organised crime and terrorism is not new, a recent Europol briefing warns that youngsters aged 13-17 are now involved as perpetrators in more than 70% of all European criminal markets, with gangs using increasingly targeted messaging on social media platforms and “gamified” challenges and missions for minors to blur the lines between friendship and exploitation, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: In the wake of the recent terrorist arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the continuing efforts to develop collaborative approaches between congregations, communities and law enforcement to ensure the safety and protection of places of worship.

ANALYSIS: In the wake of the media outcry over Essex Police’s investigation of online comments by a Daily Telegraph journalist, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at the history of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs), their impact on policing, and the effects of the code of practice introduced in 2023.

FEATURE: A new Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan launched in the UK by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Crown Prosecution Service commits police and prosecutors to work together more effectively and at earlier stages of investigations in order to increase successful judicial outcomes as well as improving the service to victims, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A partnership with the Leeds-based Domestic Violence and Abuse Voices Project providing “humbling, compelling and motivating” first-hand accounts of how women have been treated by police in the past is helping officers in West Yorkshire to gain greater insights and improve the service they deliver in domestic abuse cases, while giving victim-survivors a “life-changing” opportunity to vocalise their experiences and feel heard, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: This year’s high-profile National Crime Agency takedown of the LockBit ransomware group, and the subsequent Endgame global cybercrime operation, was hailed as an example of successful law enforcement international collaboration; but IÉSEG School of Management professors Christine Abdalla Mikhaeil, Carin Venter and Jennifer Ziegelmayer warn that with many new players stepping into the ransomware market – and LockBit’s revival – greater international collaboration will be needed in the future.

FEATURE: A recent Europol-supported cross-border operation targeting VAT fraud saw accounts containing more than €520 million frozen, hundreds of properties seized, and at least 200 people investigated; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the efforts of law enforcement to tackle organised crime’s increasing involvement in cyber-enabled fraud.

ANALYSIS: Police in England and Wales have, for the first time, collected and published detailed information gleaned from crime reports about child sex abuse and exploitation (CSAE) carried out by networks or groups, in a bid to put resources in the right areas and challenge assumptions with data along the way, as Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass reports.